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The Gatehouse website record of

Staingarthsyde (Stonehaugh 'Tower')

a location shown on a 1590 map of the West Marches of Scotland (The Aglionby Platt)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Stonehouse

In the civil parish of Nicholforest.
In the historic county of Cumberland, England.
Modern Authority of Cumbria, England.
1974 county of Cumbria, England.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY46308042
Latitude 55.11520° Longitude -2.84232°

This is certain as the location of Staingarthsyde shown on the Aglionby Platt.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The likely form(s) of this building in 1590 are;

  • Pele House ('bastle').

A section of the 1590 Aglionby Platt. Image reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland
Reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland
Description

Stonehaugh Tower: the remains of C16 pele, 35' x 24' externally, with a loop-hold in each wall. Only the southern and eastern walls remain (1927) (Curwen, 1928). Stonehouse Tower (NY 46384) Remains as described by Curwen. Although it is now called 'tower' the remains suggest that it was a bastle (Ramm et al). This probable bastle, of no known local name except 'The Tower', has dimensions as stated and stands on the edge of a level arable field. The 1.4m wide south and east walls of block and pinning construction stand to a maximum height of 3.0m and show an internal rebate line for the upper floor at 2.4m. There is an open loophole in the east wall, but the opening in the south wall is a simple recess 0.5m deep. The foundations of the north and west arms are turf-covered and overgrown, as is the interior. A stone-built lean-to barn stands against the east wall (Field Investigators Comments–F1 JRL 20-AUG-79). (PastScape)

Stonehouse Tower medieval bastle is one of a number of bastles located close to the Scottish border. As such it will contribute greatly to our knowledge and understanding of the wider border settlement and economy during the medieval period.
The monument includes the upstanding and buried remains of a medieval bastle known as Stonehouse Tower. It is located on the flood plain 140m east of Liddel Water, which here forms the boundary between England and Scotland, and is constructed of roughly squared and roughly coursed rubble, for the most part with uniform quoins. The bastle measures approximately 10.7m by 8.7m with walls 1.3m thick. The south east and south west walls survive up to about 3.6m high and contain two narrow vent slits and a square recess thought to have been used as a cupboard. The south west end wall has the remains of a corbel which may have supported a hearth on the upper floor. Only the foundations and lower course of the north east and north west walls survive. (Scheduling Report)
Comments

The floor plan dimensions are superficially more like those of a pele tower than that a bastle, which may be the reason for Curwen calling this a pele tower (although the bastle was a less known building in Curwen time), but the date makes it clear this was a bastle, although possibly built in a somewhat antiquated style.
Possible marked as 'Staingarthsyde' on 1590 map, although the map maker may have confused the Stonehaugh name with nearby Stonegarthside.
Salter describes it as a tower, shown on a map of 1590, and the seat of Robert Forest, but this was Stonegarthside.
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

Data >
PastScape   County HER   Scheduling    
Maps >
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Air Photos > 
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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The author and compiler of Gatehouse does not receive any income from the site and funds it himself. The information within this site is provided freely for educational purposes only.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.
The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.
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This record created on 09/05/2015 07:56:04; This record last updated on 17/09/2015 11:28:57

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