Border Ballads
Music, Poetry and Ballads - Introduction Reivers clans would recite their tales of fact and fiction in epic recitals. Sir Walter Scott heard some of these and printed them in his collection of Border Ballads.…
Rules To Defend Border Towns
Rules to keep Carlisle safe from Scots Scotland and England feared theft and invasion from each other. Towns were where the wealth resided, thus invaders and thieves sought to strip towns of their valuables. Towns…
Yett Yatt, a Wrought-Iron Gate Door
Yett or Yatt, a Wrought-Iron Gate Door, Typical of Border Strongholds A “Yett” was a wrought-iron door made by riveting thick iron bars together to form a strong latticework. This structure was then reinforced by…
Shot-Holes, Gun-Loops or Gun-Holes in Border Towers
Shot-Holes, Gun-Loops or Gun-Holes in Border Towers In response to the introduction of firearms in the 16th century, gun-loops, gun-holes or shot-holes as they were called in contemporary parlance, began to be a feature of…
Newel Stair / Turnpike Stair / Spiral Stair
Newel Stair / Turnpike Stair / Spiral Stair Newel stairs are so-called from the central continuous post or newel around which they spiral upwards. The protruding stair towers in which they were often housed gave…
Bastle or Bastle House
Cut-away reconstruction drawings of the layout of typical Bastle-Houses The word Bastle was derived from the French term “Bastille” and denoted a stronghouse. They are to be found throughout the length of the Border. Bastles…
Tower House
Generalities and Cut-Away Drawing of Tower-Houses by Pete Armstrong. The terms “Tower-House” and “Pele Tower” are the cause of some confusion. Though the terminology differs, the function of these buildings is similar and their form…
Pele Tower
Generalities, description and cut-away drawing of a Pele, Peel or Pele-Tower by Pete Armstrong Pele is derived from “pel” an Old French word for a stake. In early times many fortifications were constructed from wooden…
