Crew Castle bastle

Heritage listing

Details The monument includes Crew Castle, a roofless bastle now standing to ground floor height only, located on the hillside c.120m south of Crew Farm. It is constructed of calciferous sandstone rubble and measures approximately 7.6m by 5m internally with walls 1.6m thick and up to a maximum of 2.6m high. There is a doorway in the south wall and a blocked doorway opposite in the north wall. Two apertures, one in the south wall and the other in the west wall, each consist of a small circular hole set in the thickness of the wall which splays outwards towards both the external and internal sides of the wall; these have been interpreted as either ventilation holes or gun loops for defensive purposes. Other architectural features include a projecting plinth around the bastle's perimeter and large flush quoins at the corner. Rubble from the upper storey has fallen outwards and lies adjacent to the north east and north west sides and the western corner of the bastle, and in places forms heaps of debris as high as the adjacent bastle wall. Tradition states that Crew Castle bastle was the birthplace of Hobbie Noble, a moss-trooper or border reiver. Documentary sources indicate that Will Noble `of the Crew was murdered by Old Whithaugh' in 1583. The monument is a Listed Building Grade II. Adjacent sheep pens and a lean-to shed are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included. MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation. Legacy The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system. Legacy System number: 27764 Legacy System: RSM

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.