| Evistones was occupied in medieval and post-medieval times and today is a collection of ruined buildings and earthworks. The buildings are a mixture of long houses and bastles linked together by a series of walls and they are grouped around a village green. The most prominent building in the village is a bastle, its basement barrel vault still stands 2.8m high at its western end and has later been adapted for use as a sheep fold. The other two bastles do not survive quite so well but one still has walls up to 1.5m high. The walls in all these buildings are massive and over 1.5m thick. Between the bastles are a number of long houses and some overlap each other showing that they were not all in use at the same time and that were different phases of settlement. The walls of six some of these buildings stand 1m high and are over 1m thick, but there also less well preserved buildings around the village. Some of the houses, and all the bastles, have enclosures attached to them that were small fields or gardens. Around the whole village is a field system with small fields of medieval ridge and furrow and the remains of at least five more buildings, probably barns and animal sheds. This is a Scheduled Monument protected by law. See also:
Source of Reference
Local History of Rochester and Byrness
Location of this site on a map, with option to view historical maps. Please note this link will open a new window. To return to this page please close the new window. | 
Building remains at Evistones. Photo by Northumberland County Council, 1971.
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