Details

The monument includes the remains of a bastle situated among farmbuildings at
the headwaters of the River Font and now largely surrounded by the plantations
of Harwood Forest. The bastle, constructed of large roughly squared blocks,
measures approximately 13m long by 8.5m wide and survives up to 2.5m high at
the western corner. The standing remains comprise the north west wall which
has partially collapsed near the centre, and a 5m length of the south west
wall; the outline of the remaining sides are visible as foundations. In the
centre of the north west and south west walls there are slit windows. The
entrance is believed to have been in the centre of the south east wall, where
there is a slight gap in the outline of the wall. The interior is uneven and
comprises areas of tumbled masonry, now covered with turf. At the northern
corner of the bastle a bank of earth and stone almost 0.3m high runs for 6m
north eastwards before turning at right angles for a further 10m; it is
interpreted as an enclosure wall. Its date is uncertain but it may be
contemporary with the bastle and is included in the scheduling so that the
relationship with the bastle is preserved. Further sections of wall extend
beyond the scheduling.
A number of features are excluded from the scheduling; these include the lean-
to attached to the shed on the south east side of the monument, the post and
wire fence on the north east side and the walls of a later building attached
to the south west wall; the ground beneath these features, however, is
included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Bastles are small thick-walled farmhouses in which the living quarters are
situated above a ground floor byre. The vast majority are simple rectangular
buildings with the byre entrance typically placed in one gable end, an upper
door in the side wall, small stoutly-barred windows and few architectural
features or details. Some have stone barrel vaults to the basement but the
majority had a first floor of heavy timber beams carrying stone slabs. The
great majority of bastles are solitary rural buildings, although a few
nucleated settlements with more than one bastle are also known. Most bastles
were constructed between about 1575 and 1650, although earlier and later
examples are also known. They were occupied by middle-rank farmers. Bastles
are confined to the northern border counties of England, in Cumbria,
Northumberland and Durham. The need for such strongly defended farmsteads can
be related to the troubled social conditions of the later Middle Ages, which
in these border areas lasted until (indeed after) the union of the English and
Scottish Crowns in 1603. Less than 300 bastles are known to survive, of which
a large number have been significantly modified by their continuing use as
domestic or other buildings. All surviving bastles which retain significant
original remains will normally be identified as nationally important.

The bastle 80m north east of Fallowlees survives in reasonable condition and
retains significant archaeological deposits. It will contribute to any study
of the settlement pattern during this period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
NZ 09 SW 9,

Source: Historic England