© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Ingleston Mote is a medieval motte situated in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland. The earthwork stands on bedrock composed of a felsic igneous intrusion of Early Devonian age, a hard crystalline foundation that would have provided stable ground for the substantial earthen mound. Mottes of this type, typically raised in the 12th and 13th centuries, formed the defensive nucleus of early medieval lordly settlements across the Anglo-Norman frontier regions and southern Scotland.
The mote consists of a prominent artificial mound, characteristic of the form throughout this period. Such structures were built to elevate a timber-built keep or tower, providing both commanding visibility across the surrounding landscape and a strong defensive position. The top would have been encircled by a timber palisade, with a bailey or outer courtyard frequently constructed adjacent to the mound. The robust igneous bedrock beneath Ingleston would have anchored the structure securely against subsidence.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled ancient monument under reference SM1120. Though no excavation records or specific artefactual finds are documented for this site, Ingleston Mote remains an important physical record of medieval settlement and lordship patterns in the region, forming part of the wider network of defensive and administrative centres that characterised the period following Norman influence in southern Scotland.
Ingleston Mote,motte is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1120. View the official record →
Ingleston Mote is a medieval motte situated in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1120.
Ingleston Mote,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.
Ingleston Mote,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 SM1120.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Sweetheart Abbey, abbey, precinct and walls (2 km), Ward Law, prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse 360m WSW of (4.2 km), Caerlaverock Castle and Old Castle,castles,courtyards and harbour (4.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ingleston Mote,motte'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.
Ingleston Mote,motte stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Late Silurian To Early Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is felsic-rock.