Castlefacts³

Tarn House Ravenstonedale

Has been described as a Questionable Fortified Manor House, and also as a Questionable Pele Tower

There are masonry footings remains

Name	Tarn House Ravenstonedale
Alternative Names
Historic Country	Westmorland
Modern Authority	Cumbria
1974 Authority	Cumbria
Civil Parish	Ravenstonedale

House; dated 1664 on door lintels with initials G.F. & I.F. (for George Fothergill and his wife Julian). May incorporate part of earlier building; some later alterations. Stable is addition, probably C18. House, wet-dashed rubble with quoins; stable, coursed squared rubble. Graduated slate roofs to house; stable roof corrugated asbestos to front and graduated stone flags to rear. Wing to rear. 2 storeys with 1½-storey porch. 5-bay house has chamfered plinth. Outer entrance to central gabled porch has architrave with incised scrolled stops to jambs and 4-centred head with dated lintel; stone side benches. Studded plank inner door has chamfered surround with 4-centred head. 6-light window to right and two 2-light windows to left all under continuous hoodmould, carried round porch as string, with ornate scrolled labels. Framed stone over porch entrance (re-used?) shows 5 shields bearing the arms of Fothergill, Scrope, Dent, Brand, and Skelton; lobed square opening above with ornate scrolled labels to hoodmould. 2-light and 4-light windows to 1st floor right, two 2-light windows to left; all windows under hoodmoulds with scrolled labels. The larger windows are subdivided by king mullions into 2-light windows. All original windows to front and rear wing are casements in double-chamfered surrounds with chamfered stone mullions. East return has single window (1st floor blocked) in chamfered surround with trefoil head (re-used?). 2-bay stable: Door with casement and narrow blocked opening to each floor on left; loft entrance up ramp on west return. Stone copings and kneelers to porch and gables; diagonally-set finial to porch; stepped and corniced end chimneys to house. Interior: House has large segment-arched fireplaces to ground floor east and rear kitchen; some shaped door-lintels with decorative carving. 2-stage cupboard built into C17 partition, with pierced frieze, separating kitchen from stairs. Massive chamfered beams. Stable has single upper-cruck truss

Said to be the first house in the district with a slated roof. (Listed Building Report)

With 14th century windows, was rebuilt in 1664 by George Fothergill. Over the front door are the initials and date G.F., I.F., 1664, George having married Julian second daughter of Richard Skelton of Armathwaite. Here lived Sir Thomas Fothergill, standard bearer to the first lord Wharton, when Lord Warden of the Western March (1537–42). (Curwen 1932)

Gatehouse Comments

Site of a gentry status manor house. Included by Perriam and Robinson in their gazetteer of medieval fortified buildings but there is no actually evidence the house was fortified either with a moat or a tower, although the house of such a military figure as the Lord Warden's standard bearer might be expected to have some martial symbolism.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number

Historic England Listed Building number(s)

1158397

Images Of England

74105

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

14781

County Historic Environment Record

www.cumbria.gov.uk/planning-environment/countryside/historic-environment/HER.asp

OS Map Grid Reference	NY749033
Latitude	54.4253196716309
Longitude	-2.38726997375488
Eastings	374974
Northings	503396