Akeld Bastle (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Ackfield; Aykeld

In the civil parish of Akeld.
In the historic county of Northumberland.
Modern Authority of Northumberland.
1974 county of Northumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NT95762940
Latitude 55.5583° Longitude -2.0682°

Akeld Bastle has been described as a certain Bastle.

There are major building remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

This two-storeyed farm building is the remains of a former bastle. It was first mentioned in 1522, when it was hoped to garrison ten men there, and a 1541 document refers to a 'little fortlet or Bastle House'. The surviving structure is part of a substantial rectangular building used as an animal shelter. It is quite large, for a bastle, measuring 19m by 7.3 m. Like most bastles, the walls are very thick, over 1.2m. Of the original building only the ground floor remains. The rest was rebuilt in C18. The original way was through the main door in the southern end of the west side. There would have been double doors and a drawbar to block the door when necessary. The roof is a semi-circular barrel vault with a very small hole, which would have allowed access to the upper floors through by a ladder. This is good indication of the troubled period of border raiding in this region in C16.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1042370
English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 2598.
County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N1529.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Structural Images of the North East
  http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/understanding/historyarchaeology/historicvillageatlas/villageatlasakeld/akeldhistory/akeldbastle.htm
  http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/understanding/historyarchaeology/historicvillageatlas/villageatlasakeld/akeldhistory/akeldbastledescription.htm
Books
- Ryder, Peter, 2004, 'Towers and bastles in Northumberland National Park' in Frodsham, P., Archaeology in the Northumberland National Park (CBA Research report 136) p. 262-271
  Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing)
  Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 12
  Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p. 125
  Rowland, T.H., 1987 (reprint1994), Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p. 11, 32
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 356
  Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 11-2
  Ramm, H.G., McDowall, R.W. and Mercer, E., 1970, Shielings and Bastles (London: HMSO) p. 80, no.20
  Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 52
  Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles (1970 Reprint by Frank Graham) p. 24-6
  Vickers, Kenneth H. (ed), 1922, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol. 11 p. 240 online copy
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. xvi, 33 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)
Periodical Articles
- Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 33 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- 1541 View of the Castles, Towers, Barmekyns and Fortresses of the Frontier of the East and Middle Marches Survey of the East and Middle Marches
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- The Archaeological Practice Ltd., 2004, 'Akeld Northumberland an archaeological and historical study of a border township' Northumberland National Park Historic Village Atlas (The Northumberland National Park Authority) online copy

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