Morrelhirst Bastle, Hollinghill, Northumberland: An archaeological survey of the landscape evidence
Author(s): Cara Pearce
The bastle and surrounding earthworks at Morrelhirst, near Forest Gate in Northumberland, were recommended for further investigation by Peter Ryder during research for his county inventory of towers and bastles in 1995. Twenty years later this investigation has now taken place, forming part of a new Historic England study of these border farmsteads. Morrelhirst’s bastle, its setting and history of occupation has been examined through a combination of aerial assessment, detailed earthwork survey and documentary research. The bastle, concealed within the upper valley of the Forest Burn, does not appear to have been a solitary structure. A second building of similar shape and size located immediately south-east may have been contemporary and subsequently developed to form the core of a later farmstead once the bastle’s defensive qualities were no longer valued. This farmstead appears to have continued in use until superseded by the present Morrelhirst Farm, established a short distance to the north in the mid-19th century, after which the older settlement fell into ruin. The landscape surrounding the bastle was heavily modified by the straightening of a stream course and the introduction of an adjacent railway line in 1872, yet it is still possible to identify agricultural patterns associated with the early farmstead. These are primarily the remains of ridge and furrow cultivation, although associated boundary features and pens indicate a focus on pastoral farming, which remains the principal use of the land today.
- Report Number:
- 13/2016
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 42
- Keywords:
- Medieval Post Medieval Settlement Aerial Photograph Interpretation Analytical Landscape Survey
