© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Law Knowe is a medieval motte situated 400 metres north-north-west of Mains of Murie in Perthshire, Scotland. Motted fortifications of this type typically date from the 11th to 13th centuries and served as strongholds for local lords and landowners across Scotland and northern England. The mound would have originally supported a wooden palisade and building at its summit, with a bailey or outer defended enclosure at its base, making it a practical defensive structure suited to medieval territorial control.
The motte's location within Perthshire places it in a landscape of significant strategic importance during the medieval period. The underlying bedrock consists of Stratheden Group sandstone and conglomerate, formations laid down in the Late Devonian epoch. This solid foundation of interbedded stone provided a stable base for the earthwork's construction, though the builders would have worked primarily with the overlying soils and drift deposits to raise the mound itself.
Law Knowe is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7292, recognising its importance as a surviving example of medieval military architecture. The site's preservation allows it to contribute to understanding the pattern of feudal settlement and defence networks across Perthshire during the medieval period.
Law Knowe, motte 400m NNW of Mains of Murie is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7292. View the official record →
Law Knowe is a medieval motte situated 400 metres north-north-west of Mains of Murie in Perthshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7292.
Law Knowe, motte 400m NNW of Mains of Murie dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte 400m nnw of mains of murie. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Law Knowe, motte 400m NNW of Mains of Murie 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 SM7292.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wester Clunie, unenclosed settlement 1000m ENE of (4.7 km), Easter Clunie, unenclosed settlement 400m NW of (4.8 km), Denmylne Castle 1600m SE of Newburgh (5.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Law Knowe, motte 400m NNW of Mains of Murie'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.
Law Knowe, motte 400m NNW of Mains of Murie stands on Stratheden Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.