Sunday 23 September 2012

Black Middens Bastle House




We ended our Greenhaugh day with a visit to this bastle house; these are dotted all over north Northumberland.They were an attempt for isolated families to keep themselves and their animals safe from the marauding reiver clans of the Borders- the Kerrs, Ridleys, Armstrongs etc.


I reckon these buildings would be a vain attempt at self protection because taking your animals in downstairs (meaning body warmth is shared with their human hosts)and your family upstairs would not have stopped the Reivers from attacking and stealing folk and livestock.

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