Scheduled MonumentsScotlandHamilton Low Parks, motte
Medieval · Motte

Hamilton Low Parks, motte

Scotland
HES SM10726
Period
Medieval
Site type
Motte
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Hamilton Low Parks is a medieval motte situated in Lanarkshire, Scotland. This earthwork consists of an artificial mound typical of Norman and medieval fortification design, constructed to provide a defensive vantage point and secure base for a timber or stone tower. The motte rises from bedrock of the Scottish Coal Measures Group, a geological formation composed of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete laid down during the Moscovian period of the Carboniferous era.

The monument occupies a strategically significant location within the Lanarkshire landscape, where the underlying geology has historically supported industrial development and settlement. The coal-bearing strata beneath the site reflect the region's long association with mineral extraction and industrial heritage, though the motte itself predates this later economic importance by several centuries.

Hamilton Low Parks is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10726, recognising its archaeological and historical significance as evidence of medieval military architecture and settlement patterns in central Scotland.

Hamilton Low Parks, motte is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10726. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hamilton Low Parks, motte?

Hamilton Low Parks is a medieval motte situated in Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10726.

What period does Hamilton Low Parks, motte date from?

Hamilton Low Parks, motte dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Hamilton Low Parks, motte?

Hamilton Low Parks, motte 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 SM10726.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hamilton Low Parks, motte?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Netherton Cross, cross, Hamilton Old Parish Kirk (1.1 km), Bothwellhaugh,Roman fort (1.2 km), Bothwellhaugh,Roman bath house (1.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Hamilton Low Parks, motte

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Hamilton Low Parks, motte'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 Hamilton Low Parks, motte

Hamilton Low Parks, motte stands on Scottish Coal Measures Group, bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.