Repair work at Shittleheugh Bastle unveiled to ancestor

Apr 20 2010 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

“I have done quite a lot of family research and I was absolutely astonished to see the bastle in The Journal,” said Mr Clark, a retired engineering manager who worked for the former Newcastle Parsons and Rolls Royce firms. “I recognised it straight away.”

Mr Clark’s great-great grandfather William farmed at Shittleheugh between 1799 and 1825 and was possibly one of the last people to use the bastle.

He and his wife Isabella are buried in Elsdon churchyard in Northumberland.

Mr Clark has traced his family back to the late 17th Century when they farmed on land near Alwinton which is now part of the Otterburn military training ranges.

“It is strange to think that 200 years or so ago my relatives were walking about at Shittleheugh,” he said.

Heritage Consolidation, based at Greenhead in Northumberland, has also worked on Rowan Tree Stob bastle near Allendale, Blenkinsopp Castle in Northumberland and Scaleby Castle near Carlisle.

Gary Simpson said: “Lime mortar takes 90 days to set and if temperatures get really low it can revert to lime and sand.

“In fact temperatures on the site fell as low as -21C during the winter, but when we took the wrapping off the bastle we were very happy with the results.”