Black Middens bastle (Tarset with Greystead)
At Black Middings there is a two storied Bastle House. There is a door at one end of the lower storey, and on the south side an outside stair to a door on the upper floor, which also has two small window openings. The upper door, which has an older window united for its head is not later than the 18th century. The flooring and rood roof are modern (Article compares this building with the two bastles at Gatehouse (NY 78 NE 4) which are probably of the time of Henry VIII or Elizabeth).
To the east of the building are the ruins of an 18th cent cottage which stands partly on the massive foundations of an earlier house which possibly preceded the bastle. (1) [see HER 33998]
Black Middings. A typical Tudor strong house. (2)
NY 77318999. Remains of a defended house situated upon a rocky rise, against a fairly steep south west - facing slope of pasture moorland, which drops to the River Tarset.
A slight depression north east of the site and separating it from overlooking high ground is subject to boggy conditions, and is need filled. The site commands the Tarset valley to the north west, south west and south east. The building measures 7.3m by 10.4m and is approx 8m high to the gable ridge. The walls of massive stones, are 1.4m thick. Two modern doors in the south west wall lead into the two ground floor compartments, now used to house cattle and poultry. There is a splayed window in the north west wall. The derelict farmhouse to the south east stands upon older foundations which extend from the defended house to a point 6m south east of the farmhouse. (3)
The remains of the bastle are as described, but the foundations to the south east are too indefinite for survey action. (4)
NY 775898 Black Middens. Bastle. (See Type Site NY 88 SE 14). (5)
As described in reports of 30.7.56 and 21.7.70. Surveyed at 1:10,000. (6)
NY 773900. Black Middens Bastle. Under guardianship(7), but previously listed as 'Black Middens pele'. (8)
Additional scheduled area includes (a - on plan) the remains of a rectangular house with late 18th or 19th century windows, b) the site of a rectangular building and c) the remains of an inner field system comprising low banks. These remains represent the development of a small upland farmstead originating with the bastle, and expanding into a linear farmstead of the 18th/19th century. (7)
II Black Middings Pele A well preserved small late medieval bastle house. Description in NCH Vol 15. (9)
Resurveyed January 1989 at 1:100 and 1:500 by RCHME. (10)
Rectangular building 10.4m x 7.2m externally with walls of roughly coursed and roughly squared blocks (most massive in the lower courses) 1.4m thick (south east end wall). Blocked byre entrance doorway in centre of south east end with chamfered surround; on south west side two 19th century openings on either side of stone external stair leading up to upper door with rounded arris to jambs, but chamfered lintel apparently re-used from a window (sockets for three bars); drawbar tunnel and harr socket. Byre has slit vent in north west end, later window (blocked) in north east wall and later cross wall. First floor has two original windows in south west wall, one on north east, stone cupboards in both end walls (with sockets for firehood timbers in each end as well) and stubs of upper cruck trusses.
Adjacent buildings at each end; to north west only traces of foundations, to south east grassed over footings of building with 1m thick walls, joining 18th/19th century cottage further from bastle. (11)
NY 7733 9002. Two bastles, an 18th century farmhouse and associated enclosures at Black Middings. Scheduled RSM No 23224. (12)
Built of random rubble with roughly-dressed quoins; roofless. All four walls stand to eaves level. On the ground floor two 19th century doorways with older, but not original, stone stairs between them. The stairs lead to the original first floor doorway, though the lintel is in fact a re-used window lintel for it has three small holes for mullions. The ground floor doorway is blocked on the east gable end. The walls are about 4 feet thick and the stumps of the original upper cruck roof remain in situ. (13)
Tree-ring analysis of eight samples from the small number of timbers available at the bastle was carried out in 2009. Unfortunately there was no conclusive cross-matching between any of the samples and a site chronology could no tbe formed. None of the samples could be dated individually, despite their being compared to a large corpus of reference chronologies for oak. The bastle therefore remains undated.
Negative results of attempted tree-ring dating published in 2009. 8 samples of timbers from cruck blades and other roofing timbers were taken for tree ring analysis but it was not possible to produce exact dates of felling for the timbers due to lack of appropriate tree ring comparators needed to check against. This may have been due to the individual timbers all being of different dates or that the source of origin of the timber used was one which currently lacked sufficient available comparators. It is also possible that some timbers were salvaged and re-used in convervation work carried out tn the 1980s. (14)
Plans, sections and elevations at 1:20 have been prepared by Plowman, Craven and Associates (10a). Further elevations and analysis of fabric are being undertaken (10b) in the course of display. The bastle is as described by authority 5 except that it is currently roofless and has no upper floor; a viewing gallery has been inserted at first floor level and the original ground floor entrance is totally blocked.
An area of cobbles and paving extends from the foot of the external staircase around the corner of the building. The primary phase of the bastle in the 16th century may be associated with some elements of the surrounding field system. The bastle was later converted to agricultural use, forming part of the Black Middens farm complex. (15a, e-f)
Listed Grade II*. (15b)
Accessible description of Black Middens Bastle. This source notes a documentary record mentioning a raid on the bastle by the Armstrong family in 1583. (15c)
Black Middens is one of a number of bastles (not all in the care of English Heritage) along or near the Tarset Burn which can be visited in a single day. (15d)
To the east of the building are the ruins of an 18th cent cottage which stands partly on the massive foundations of an earlier house which possibly preceded the bastle. (1) [see HER 33998]
Black Middings. A typical Tudor strong house. (2)
NY 77318999. Remains of a defended house situated upon a rocky rise, against a fairly steep south west - facing slope of pasture moorland, which drops to the River Tarset.
A slight depression north east of the site and separating it from overlooking high ground is subject to boggy conditions, and is need filled. The site commands the Tarset valley to the north west, south west and south east. The building measures 7.3m by 10.4m and is approx 8m high to the gable ridge. The walls of massive stones, are 1.4m thick. Two modern doors in the south west wall lead into the two ground floor compartments, now used to house cattle and poultry. There is a splayed window in the north west wall. The derelict farmhouse to the south east stands upon older foundations which extend from the defended house to a point 6m south east of the farmhouse. (3)
The remains of the bastle are as described, but the foundations to the south east are too indefinite for survey action. (4)
NY 775898 Black Middens. Bastle. (See Type Site NY 88 SE 14). (5)
As described in reports of 30.7.56 and 21.7.70. Surveyed at 1:10,000. (6)
NY 773900. Black Middens Bastle. Under guardianship(7), but previously listed as 'Black Middens pele'. (8)
Additional scheduled area includes (a - on plan) the remains of a rectangular house with late 18th or 19th century windows, b) the site of a rectangular building and c) the remains of an inner field system comprising low banks. These remains represent the development of a small upland farmstead originating with the bastle, and expanding into a linear farmstead of the 18th/19th century. (7)
II Black Middings Pele A well preserved small late medieval bastle house. Description in NCH Vol 15. (9)
Resurveyed January 1989 at 1:100 and 1:500 by RCHME. (10)
Rectangular building 10.4m x 7.2m externally with walls of roughly coursed and roughly squared blocks (most massive in the lower courses) 1.4m thick (south east end wall). Blocked byre entrance doorway in centre of south east end with chamfered surround; on south west side two 19th century openings on either side of stone external stair leading up to upper door with rounded arris to jambs, but chamfered lintel apparently re-used from a window (sockets for three bars); drawbar tunnel and harr socket. Byre has slit vent in north west end, later window (blocked) in north east wall and later cross wall. First floor has two original windows in south west wall, one on north east, stone cupboards in both end walls (with sockets for firehood timbers in each end as well) and stubs of upper cruck trusses.
Adjacent buildings at each end; to north west only traces of foundations, to south east grassed over footings of building with 1m thick walls, joining 18th/19th century cottage further from bastle. (11)
NY 7733 9002. Two bastles, an 18th century farmhouse and associated enclosures at Black Middings. Scheduled RSM No 23224. (12)
Built of random rubble with roughly-dressed quoins; roofless. All four walls stand to eaves level. On the ground floor two 19th century doorways with older, but not original, stone stairs between them. The stairs lead to the original first floor doorway, though the lintel is in fact a re-used window lintel for it has three small holes for mullions. The ground floor doorway is blocked on the east gable end. The walls are about 4 feet thick and the stumps of the original upper cruck roof remain in situ. (13)
Tree-ring analysis of eight samples from the small number of timbers available at the bastle was carried out in 2009. Unfortunately there was no conclusive cross-matching between any of the samples and a site chronology could no tbe formed. None of the samples could be dated individually, despite their being compared to a large corpus of reference chronologies for oak. The bastle therefore remains undated.
Negative results of attempted tree-ring dating published in 2009. 8 samples of timbers from cruck blades and other roofing timbers were taken for tree ring analysis but it was not possible to produce exact dates of felling for the timbers due to lack of appropriate tree ring comparators needed to check against. This may have been due to the individual timbers all being of different dates or that the source of origin of the timber used was one which currently lacked sufficient available comparators. It is also possible that some timbers were salvaged and re-used in convervation work carried out tn the 1980s. (14)
Plans, sections and elevations at 1:20 have been prepared by Plowman, Craven and Associates (10a). Further elevations and analysis of fabric are being undertaken (10b) in the course of display. The bastle is as described by authority 5 except that it is currently roofless and has no upper floor; a viewing gallery has been inserted at first floor level and the original ground floor entrance is totally blocked.
An area of cobbles and paving extends from the foot of the external staircase around the corner of the building. The primary phase of the bastle in the 16th century may be associated with some elements of the surrounding field system. The bastle was later converted to agricultural use, forming part of the Black Middens farm complex. (15a, e-f)
Listed Grade II*. (15b)
Accessible description of Black Middens Bastle. This source notes a documentary record mentioning a raid on the bastle by the Armstrong family in 1583. (15c)
Black Middens is one of a number of bastles (not all in the care of English Heritage) along or near the Tarset Burn which can be visited in a single day. (15d)
N6990
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1956; A S Phillips
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1970; D Smith
TIMBER SAMPLING, Black Middens Bastle 2009; English Heritage
MEASURED SURVEY, RCHME: Black Middens Survey
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1970; D Smith
TIMBER SAMPLING, Black Middens Bastle 2009; English Heritage
MEASURED SURVEY, RCHME: Black Middens Survey
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