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Rutherford Tower

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Rutherforde; Morthwate; Old Hall; Rotherforde; Ruthord

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

OS Map Grid Reference: NY45117905
Latitude 55.10283° Longitude -2.86164°

Rutherford Tower has been described as a Pele Tower although is doubtful that it was such, and also as a probable Bastle.

There are no visible remains.

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

Description

Tower symbol is marked on the 1590 map of Cumbria at Rutherforde, and is marked as a house called 'Morthwate' on the 1607 plot. Probably a stonehouse or bastle. The English Place Name Society equated Rutherford with Old Hall, and the present farmhouse may have remains of the stonehouse. (PastScape)

(Area centred NY 45227889) A map in the British Museum, dated December 1590, has marked 'Rutherforde' with a tower symbol.
The approximate location falls in an area of rough pasture fields showing no trace of a structure or earthworks. Old Hall, at NY 451790, is externally C18/C19 farmhouse with walling of only average thickness. There is no knowledge of an earlier house here. (PastScape–ref. Field Investigators Comments–F1 JRL 23-AUG-79)

Comments

It is difficult to really known what the symbols on the 1590 map actually meant. They mainly refer to sites that are now lost and which were never gentry status sites. This suggests these were not pele towers. It is more likely they were some form of bastle or stonehouse. The lack of survival of such houses in this area, as opposed to their fairly frequent survival in the higher Pennine lands, may reflect the good agricultural quality of this land producing wealth (once the area was politically stabilised and decriminalised) which allowed for the building of brand new farmhouses and farmbuildings in the C18/C19.
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

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Sources of information, references and further reading
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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.
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*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 09:21:32

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