LIDAR (DSM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.
Tarset Castle, Northumberland.
Site of 13th Century fortified house known as Tarset Castle.
Location: NY 7883 8549
The remains of the castle are situated upon a steep-sided promontory which points westwards and which commands the valley of the Tarset Burn to the north, and the valley of the River North Tyne to the west, south and east. The promontory is cut off from the rising ground to the east by a broad deep ditch, 22m wide, and of an average depth of 5m. The southern end of this ditch has been destroyed by the construction of a railway cutting.
Upon the east side of the site, are foundations of a building, of which the south end and north east corner are exposed, and stand to a maximum height of 1.5m. The rest of the site has been subjected to ravaging for stone and is covered with pits and spoil heaps, now turf covered.
Site of 13th Century fortified house known as Tarset Castle.
Location: NY 7883 8549
The remains of the castle are situated upon a steep-sided promontory which points westwards and which commands the valley of the Tarset Burn to the north, and the valley of the River North Tyne to the west, south and east. The promontory is cut off from the rising ground to the east by a broad deep ditch, 22m wide, and of an average depth of 5m. The southern end of this ditch has been destroyed by the construction of a railway cutting.
Upon the east side of the site, are foundations of a building, of which the south end and north east corner are exposed, and stand to a maximum height of 1.5m. The rest of the site has been subjected to ravaging for stone and is covered with pits and spoil heaps, now turf covered.
OS 25" (1897). National Library of Scotland.
Lidar (dsm, 1m) showing approximate location of the three photos above.
"The monument includes the remains of the fortified residence known as Tarset Castle, situated upon a steep sided promontory commanding the valley of the Tarset Burn to the north and the North Tyne to the west, south and east. Theprom ontory is surrounded by a substantial artificially dug ditch on the east and south sides 20m wide and on average 5m deep. The remaining two sides are bounded by steep banks which have the appearance of having been artificially scarped for added defence. The fortified house occupies the eastern half of the promontory and is largely visible as the grassed over remains of a rectangular structure, oriented north to south. Standing masonry is visible to a maximum height of 1.5m at the north east and the south east corners of the structure standing upon the uncovered remains of a stone plinth. This masonry is thought to represent two of the four square corner turrets known to exist at Tarset Castle. A sketch of the house in 1773 shows it to be a long narrow rectangular building with square turrets at each of the four corners surrounded by a stone wall of the same shape."
Scheduled Monument: 1015528
Keys to the Past: N6995
Scheduled Monument: 1015528
Keys to the Past: N6995
Bing maps (satellite) - 2026.
Tarset Archive Group - Tarset Castle: A0004
Tarset Archive Group - Tarset Castle Exhibition
Tarset Archive Group - Tarset Castle Heritage at Risk
Gatehouse record: 2832
Carlton, R. J. (2004). Tarset and Greenhaugh, Northumberland; An Archaeological and Historical Study of Two Border Communities.
The Archaeological Practice, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Geograph (snippet): 25590
Tarset Archive Group - Tarset Castle Exhibition
Tarset Archive Group - Tarset Castle Heritage at Risk
Gatehouse record: 2832
Carlton, R. J. (2004). Tarset and Greenhaugh, Northumberland; An Archaeological and Historical Study of Two Border Communities.
The Archaeological Practice, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Geograph (snippet): 25590
Tarset Castle. Artist's impression from Tarset Archive Group Exhibition.
The castle’s history has traditionally been assumed to have begun in 1267 when a detailed licence to crenelate was issued to John Comyn but there is some evidence for an earlier foundation in 1244.
"The apparent problem posed by the apparently conflicting records is easily resolved if it is assumed that the earlier record refers to an earth and timber ‘ringwork’ castle probably constructed by Richard Comyn when the family first acquired the manor in the 12th century.
Ringworks, which simply comprise a massively ditched and embanked enclosure, are more common in North Tynedale and Redesdale than the better known type of motte-and-bailey castles, with both the Mote Hill at Wark and Warden Castle adopting this form. Even the earthwork castle at Elsdon - traditionally thought of as a motte-and-bailey - has been re-evaluated more recently and shown to be a ringwork and bailey."
R. Carlton (2004).
"The apparent problem posed by the apparently conflicting records is easily resolved if it is assumed that the earlier record refers to an earth and timber ‘ringwork’ castle probably constructed by Richard Comyn when the family first acquired the manor in the 12th century.
Ringworks, which simply comprise a massively ditched and embanked enclosure, are more common in North Tynedale and Redesdale than the better known type of motte-and-bailey castles, with both the Mote Hill at Wark and Warden Castle adopting this form. Even the earthwork castle at Elsdon - traditionally thought of as a motte-and-bailey - has been re-evaluated more recently and shown to be a ringwork and bailey."
R. Carlton (2004).
Not long after first posting this blog I chanced on this which really gets me wondering: The Myth of the Motte and Bailey Castle in Scotland by Simon Forder (2014).
Contour models from lidar
The great thing about lidar is it enables us to create contours and examine profiles across a site. This helps us understand how the natural geomorphology was used in the selection of a defensive site and the alterations made in its construction. Shown below are contours created in QGIS at 1m interval from the dtm lidar, overlaid on the multi-hillshaded dsm lidar.
Below that are two profiles created by the profile tool in QGIS in directions N-S and W-E across the castle mound and surrounding structures. The nearby farm buildings, disused railway cutting, viaduct, and roads remind us that modern changes to the landscape are often superimposed on what has gone before. The major landslip on the N slope, which rises 17m on the left bank of the Tarset Burn, is clearly visible in the lidar. It took place around 1862-1895 and remains unstable, placing the remains of Tarset Castle at further risk.
Below that are two profiles created by the profile tool in QGIS in directions N-S and W-E across the castle mound and surrounding structures. The nearby farm buildings, disused railway cutting, viaduct, and roads remind us that modern changes to the landscape are often superimposed on what has gone before. The major landslip on the N slope, which rises 17m on the left bank of the Tarset Burn, is clearly visible in the lidar. It took place around 1862-1895 and remains unstable, placing the remains of Tarset Castle at further risk.
Tarset Castle from south. 3D lidar landscape.
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