GATEHOUSE
The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
Home
The listings
Other Info
Books
Links
Downloads
Contact
 
Print Page 
 
Next Record 
Previous Record 
Back to list 

Randalholme Hall, Alston Moor

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Randalholm; Raynerholme; Kirkhaugh

In the civil parish of Alston Moor.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland (Tynedale Liberty).

OS Map Grid Reference: NY70794855
Latitude 54.83093° Longitude -2.45606°

Randalholme Hall, Alston Moor has been described as a probable Tower House, and also as a probable Bastle.

There are major building remains.

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

Description

Large house, of several periods, incorporating a C14 tower. The west range consists of two C16 builds linked by an added staircase bay to the tower of late C17 appearance with C18 alterations. C19 additions include a washhouse to the east and a porch to the north side. The west range is of coursed rubble with quoins. The tower is of large sandstone blocks with quoins and a moulded cornice with two blank shields on each of the north and south sides. The replacement Welsh slate roof has corniced stone end chimneys. A former house, the oldest part of the west range, is now a byre. Tower has segmental barrel vault to ground floor; remains of mural stairs. (Listed Building Report)

Randalhome, Alston, a fourteenth century peel tower, originally the manor house of Kirkhaugh, first mentioned in 1370. A Tudor wing was added circa 1600 and remodelled in classical style circa 1650 (Collingwood; Curwen).
The peel tower, of three stories with added attic and gabled roof, forms the SE corner of a later farmhouse. It measures 8.3m x 7.7m with walls 1.7m thick, and contains an original doorway, leading into a barrel-vaulted basement. The later additions are not outstanding (LS Reviser (BA Cowling 24.7.80)).
Adjacent to the Hall is a range containing a bastle. (PastScape)

An ancient peel-house, now white-washed, with an armorial escutcheon of stone on the north front, stands near the foot-path. This is Randalholme Hall, formerly the seat of the family of Randals, one of whom, William Randal Featherstonhaugh Ricardson Randal, is buried in the parish church. The estate has been recently purchased by the Commissioners and Governors of Greenwich Hospital. The substitution of a slated roof and gables in place of the old flat lead roof and battlements, and its occupation as a farm-house, have materially lessened the antiquity of its appearance, which well comported with its massive walls, some of which are upwards of seven feet in thickness. (Sopwith 1833)

Nicholas de Vipont is recorded as having a 'capital messuage' at Randalholme in 1315, Robert, son of Nichols de Veteriponte held Raynerholm in 1373.
Comments

Although called a 'peel-house' by Sopwith he is clearly describing a something more than a chamber over a brye. This is a multi-storey building of baronial status and, therefore, a tower house in the terms used in Gatehouse. Although small for such tower houses it does seem to have been an integral building, although it is likely the current attached building had medieval precursors although as farm and secondary buildings.
However, although the site of a baronial residence Jessop and Whitfield date this as a C16 building from a time when this site was not really baronial in status and this building may be better considered to be a higher status bastlehouse type bastle (not to be confused with the possible attached pelehouse bastle.
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

Data >
PastScape   County HER       Listing   I. O. E.
Maps >
Streetmap   NLS maps   Where's the path   Old-Maps      
Data/Maps > 
Magic   V. O. B.   Geology   LiDAR   Open Domesday  
Air Photos > 
Bing Maps   Google Maps   Getmapping   ZoomEarth      
Photos >
CastleFacts   Geograph   Flickr   Panoramio      

Sources of information, references and further reading
Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.
It is an offence to disturb a Scheduled Monument without consent. It is a destruction of everyone's heritage to remove archaeological evidence from ANY site without proper recording and reporting.
Don't use metal detectors on historic sites without authorisation.
The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of Historic England, County Historic Environment Records and other individuals and organisations. It may also contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes.
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.
Please help to make this as useful a resource as possible by contacting Gatehouse if you see errors, can add information or have suggestions for improvements in functality and design.
Help is acknowledged.
*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.
This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:21:28

Home | Books | Links | Fortifications and Castles | Other Information | Help | Downloads | Author Information | Contact
¤¤¤¤¤