Scheduled MonumentsScotlandAuchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot
Medieval · St mary's church, mote hill and dovecot

Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot

Scotland
HES SM90267
Period
Medieval
Site type
St mary's church, mote hill and dovecot
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot is a medieval ecclesiastical and baronial site in Aberdeenshire comprising three distinct structures of historical importance. The parish church of St Mary dates from the medieval period and represents the spiritual centre of the medieval settlement at Auchindoir. The mote hill is a characteristic earthwork of medieval lordship, typical of Norman influence in Scotland during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, serving as the administrative and defensive focus of the barony. The dovecot, a later addition to the complex, reflects the agricultural practices of a substantial medieval estate and demonstrates the continued occupation and development of the site into the early modern period.

Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90267. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot?

Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot is a medieval ecclesiastical and baronial site in Aberdeenshire comprising three distinct structures of historical importance. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90267.

What period does Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot date from?

Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a st mary's church, mote hill and dovecot. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot?

Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM90267.

What other scheduled monuments are near Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Limekiln Braes, kiln, quarries and platforms 650m NW of Bar na Beinn (1.2 km), Cnoc Cailliche, fort 360m WSW of Upper Wheedlemont (1.6 km), Currach Cottage, hut circles 330m NE of (1.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot

Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot stands on Lower Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

The wider landscape

Around Auchindoir, St Mary's Church, Mote Hill and Dovecot

Battle of Alford 1645Battle (1645) · ~7.3 milesBattle of GlenlivetBattle (1594) · ~14.8 miles