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Coats Hill is a medieval motte situated 480 metres north-east of St Margaret's in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Mottes of this type were fortified earthworks erected during the medieval period, typically consisting of a steep-sided mound with a flattened summit designed to support a timber palisade and defensive structure. The motte at Coats Hill rises prominently from bedrock of the Gala Group, Telychian wacke, which would have provided a stable foundation and potentially offered some natural elevation to the builders.
The site is characteristic of the motte-and-bailey fortifications that proliferated in lowland Scotland and northern England from the 11th century onwards. Such structures served as centres of local authority and defence, their prominent positions and geometric forms clearly visible across the landscape. The wacke bedrock underlying Coats Hill, deposited during the early Paleozoic period, would have required significant labour to excavate and construct the earthwork around it.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland and recorded under reference SM686. This designation recognises its importance as an example of medieval defensive architecture in the Scottish Borders region and ensures its preservation for future study and public understanding of Scotland's feudal landscape.
Coats Hill, motte 480m NE of St Margaret's is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM686. View the official record →
Coats Hill is a medieval motte situated 480 metres north-east of St Margaret's in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM686.
Coats Hill, motte 480m NE of St Margaret's dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte 480m ne of st margaret's. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Coats Hill, motte 480m NE of St Margaret's 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 SM686.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stidriggs, fort and settlement 400m ESE of (4.8 km), Stidriggs, cairn 750m SSW of (5.4 km), Catharine's Hill, settlement 620m N of Nether Murthat (5.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Coats Hill, motte 480m NE of St Margaret's's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Coats Hill, motte 480m NE of St Margaret's stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.