South view of Butterknowes Farmhouse, Brinkburn. Photo by Peter Ryder.

A tower is known to have been at Butterknowes. In a description of Rothbury Forest a century ago, (c.1803) the so-called Forest was stated to be dotted over with 'Bastile buildings'. Not one of these strong houses remains at the present day. (1)

NZ 09139918. Butterknowes consists of a farmhouse with outbuildings, and is situated upon a small rise of ground surrounded by low-lying pastureland.
The site commands the valley of the River Coquet to the north and east. On the north side of the farmstead is a tract of marshy ground and a pond.
The modern farmhouse incorporates remains of a preceding structure which was of great strength, 10.1m of the north outside wall, and the whole of an interior, dividing wall running north-south, 6.2m in length, is 1.2m thick at ground level, narrowing to 1m at first floor level. The wall is seen on the north side to be constructed of large rough-hewn stones, with well fashioned quoins.
The full extent of the remains so incorporated, can be traced within the farmhouse from the numerous doorways and windows which have been inserted.
No other traces of an earlier structure could be found in or around the farmstead. The occupiers could offer no information about the site. (2)

Condition unchanged. The remains appear likely to be those of a bastle. (3)

Farmhouse includes old walls, probably a bastle. Measures 33ft x 22ft, walls 3ft 4ins and 4ft 4ins thick. (4)

Butterknowes Farmhouse. Late 16th/early 17th century bastle. Grade II. Extended and refronted c.1800; rear wing and outshut c.1825-50. Heavy rubble in original parts. Welsh slate roof. Rear elevation shows original bastle masonry above outshut. The stone-built structure is 2 storeyed with a Welsh slate roof.
Interior: north and west walls of bastle 1.2m thick. East wall not exposed but is expected position of byre and upper doorways. (5)

Butterknowes Farmhouse is quite a complex building, demonstrating work of several periods. The main two storey two bay block, 10.2m by 6.1m externally, represents the bastle. There is an 18th century extension on the west, an attached farmbuilding range to the east and a mid 19th century rear wing and outshut to the rear. The south wall of the house was rebuilt in the mid 19th century. The only places bastle fabric is visible externally are in the western half of the north wall (above the outshut roof) and at the north east angle. Here, massive quoins are visible and walling of large roughly shaped blocks.
Internally, no bastle features are exposed. Later openings show the original west end wall to be 1.05m thick and the north wall 1.2m. Recent reflooring at first floor level is reported to have exposed the top of a flight of stone steps, dropping down the internal face of the north wall near the north west corner. It is not clear how these related to the wall beneath (ie whether they were within the thickness of the wall or attached to its internal face) and whether they were an original feature of the bastle. (6)

Butterknowes was probably built between 1550-1586 by the Earl of Northumberland, for in 1586, the occupier complained that despite the newly completed fortification, he had lost livestock to a Scottish raiding party. Listed by Cathcart King and by Dodds. (7a-b)