White House, Filton Moor

Has been described as a Certain Bastle

There are no visible remains

NameWhite House, Filton Moor
Alternative NamesWhyte house, Fylton more
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishBirtley

A survey of 1541 refers to a bastle (sic) on Filton Moor (now Carrycoats) called the White House. ('White House', a dwelling, is published on O.S. 6" 1957 at NY 93968078) (Hodgson 1897).

The house is modern, and no visible remains of a bastle are incorporated (F1 DS 11-SEP-67).

The monks of Newminster Abbey had summer grazing here until the Dissolution, and the pele was probably their creation. In due course a farm replaced the White house pele, the stones of the latter being used to construct the farm buildings, leaving only a grass-covered outline (Dodds 1999). (PastScape)

At Fylton more is a bastell house called the Whyte house of the kinges maties Inheritance p'cell of the Augmentac'on of his graces crowne belonginge to the late supp'ssed monastery of Neweminster in measurable good rep'aco'ns (1541 Survey)

Gatehouse Comments

It is unclear what Dodds means by a 'grass covered outline'. The field archaeologists report no visible remains. Within the 1541 survey the term 'bastell' seems to be used mostly for larger strong houses, rather than 'pele-house' type bastles, and the whole survey is generally concerned with larger fortified buildings. However this does seems to have been a relatively modest holding, a secondary residence of the Shafto family of Bavington Hall, who were the tenants. Dodds suggests it was originally a shieling but even if it was mainly concerned with sheep raising it must have functioned as more than just a shepherds summer hut. Was this a retreat for the monks of Newminster Abbey?

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNY929807
Latitude55.121410369873
Longitude-2.1118700504303
Eastings392960
Northings580780
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 341
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 348
  • Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 167
  • Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 106
  • Hodgson, John Crawford (ed), 1897, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol. 4 p. 397, 404-5, 475 online copy
  • Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. 46 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)

Journals

  • Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 46 online copy

Primary Sources