Glenochar |
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The Bastle |
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When the bastle was first located, all that remained was a lump of masonry projecting through a large mound. Excavations by the volunteers eventually revealed the bastle still standing two floors high.
The end wall still revealed the form of the barrel-vaulted roof: access to the upper floor was by a staircase within the thickness of the wall. |
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| The reconstruction shows the probable layout of the structure: cattle were stalled on the ground floor, below, while the family lived on the floor above.
This was the only stone-built house in the village: although it would not have given protection to a full-scale armed attack, it would no doubt have warded off the casual robber. Early in the 18th century the vaulting collapsed. The floor was strewn with broken wine bottles and pottery. Although the majority of the pottery is the typical green glazed pottery of the time, there are also some fine Staffordshire cups and some clay tobacco pipes, showing that even in this rural area, the smoking of tobacco and the drinking of tea was beginning to penetrate. |
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