A Bastle House

Fortresses of the Turbulent Borderlands

The turbulence of the Border Reiver era, from the feuds between families like the Robson and Dodd clans to the constant threat of cross-border raiding, did not last forever. Before the push for peace, however, life in the Anglo-Scottish Borders was perilous. The sheer frequency of raids, known as ‘reiving’, meant that local landholders, particularly the more affluent farmers and small lairds, needed a way to protect their most valuable assets: their families and their livestock. This extreme need for defence is precisely why bastles (pronounced with a soft ‘t’ as in castle) were built. They were essentially fortified farmhouses and the word ‘bastle’ is thought to derive from the French word ‘bastille’ meaning a fortress or stronghold. Their main purpose was to provide a secure, temporary refuge during an attack. Characteristic features include one-metre-thick stone walls and tiny, slit-like windows which were designed to withstand a siege or fire.

A bastle was typically a two-storey structure with the ground floor being dark and windowless and often built with vaulted (curved stone ceiling) to resist fire. This floor was used to shelter the cattle and horses, driven in through a single, heavily barred door. The family’s living quarters were situated on the safer, defensible upper floor. Access was usually via an external stone forestair or a removable wooden ladder, which could be pulled up at night or in the event of a raid, cutting off the reivers from the family above and the precious animals below.

From Lawlessness to Lasting Peace

The constant threat of cross-border raiding, did not last forever. When King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England in 1603, he brought a fierce push for peace to the Borders, slowly ending the centuries of lawlessness.

This new stability eventually made the thick walls and secured doors of the bastle house unnecessary for defence. Many bastles were changed over time, gaining proper external stone stairs and larger windows to make them more comfortable homes. Yet, the structures themselves remained.

The bastle house pictured in the photo is situated near West Woodburn and is now an occupied family home. It has a Victorian extension for the kitchen and a magnificent fireplace on the first floor, which is the main living area. The interior has downstairs windows that are a depth of 1.5 metres, with the upstairs windows being slightly smaller at just less than a metre. It was described before major renovations in the 1980’s as follows:

“Random rubble with massive quoins and boulder plinth. Welsh slate roof. 34 ft x 21 ft. 2 storeys. Walls 4½ ft thick. Probably C18 doorway to left with one C18 window to right. 2 similar windows above. Original ground floor doorway, now blocked, in shed on left return, has roll-moulded surround. Entrance to upper floor is by door at 1st floor level to rear. Gabled roof, the upper part of gable rebuilt. Interior: ground floor has remains of corbelling for fireplace above. 1st floor has fireplaces both ends; to left, very small and narrow, with rough stone lintel and jambs; to right, blocked large C18 fireplace has older wooden bressummer above. Square recess to left of fireplace. Windows and door have old wood lintels” (Shielings and Bastles: Ramm, McDowall, Mercer. HMSO 1970; Historic England Listing NGR: NY8913788464)

The Bastle Houses of Northumberland are not just relics of a forgotten age; they are monuments to the sheer determination of the border families. Another clear and atmospheric example of one of these strong homes is Black Middens Bastle House, managed by English Heritage. Its isolated location shows perfectly how exposed these farming families were. Black Middens lets visitors see the classic bastle features, connecting us directly to a time when survival was a daily struggle against clans like the Armstrongs, who are believed to have attacked this very place in 1583. When you visit Black Middens Bastle .you are walking through the walls of a history defined by danger, resilience, and the simple, absolute necessity of having strong stone between yourself and the night.