Healey Bastle

Has been described as a Certain Bastle

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameHealey Bastle
Alternative Names
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishNunnykirk

A short distance north east of a ruined 18th century cottage, the only remains of a former farm called Healey, lie the ruins of a bastle. It measures 10.35m long, but its width remains uncertain. The north wall, of roughly coursed large rubble with some massive blocks, has large roughly squared angle quoins and stands to a maximum height of 2.2m. The west end has been completely removed except for a ragged stub, but the grassed over footings of part of the east wall survive. The only features in the north wall are a slit vent set a little east of centre (not readily discernible on the internal face but, externally, framed by four large slabs in a typical bastle manner) and a larger opening, probably secondary, near the east end of the wall. On the south there are hints of grassed over foundations on two separate lines, which would give internal widths of 4m and 6.25m respectively. A later wall, of coursed smaller stones, runs west from the north west angle of the bastle, ending after 3.5m in a straight joint with a more tumbled section of masonry which, externally, incorporates some large locks; this then returns south as a tumbled footing, apparently c.0.8m wide. It is not clear whether this represents a phase II bastle or a post-bastle extension. The 18th century cottage to the south west incorporates the west end of an earlier building as its east end; this also has large well squared quoins and is only 0.65m thick, thus seeming unlikely to be any earlier than the mid 18th century. About 20m south east are the grassed over footings of another building, possibly running north-south; its south east corner is the only recognisable feature (Ryder 1994-5). (Northumberland HER)

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNZ085919
Latitude55.2217483520508
Longitude-1.86738002300262
Eastings408520
Northings591970
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 435

Journals

  • Christopherson, R., 2011, 'Northumberland bastles: origin and distribution' Medieval Settlement Research Vol. 26 p. 21-33 (listed in appendix)

Other

  • Ryder, P.F., 1994-5, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland Part 1 Alnwick District p. 38-9