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Mote of Annan is a motte-and-bailey castle situated 70 metres south-south-west of Moat House in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The monument comprises an earthwork fortification of the type that emerged across Britain following the Norman Conquest, with a raised mound serving as the defensive stronghold and an adjoining lower bailey providing space for ancillary structures and livestock. The site rests upon Triassic bedrock composed of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate, geology that has influenced both the monument's construction and its long-term stability.
The castle's location in southern Scotland reflects the strategic importance of the Anglo-Scottish border regions during the medieval period. The choice of site would have afforded natural defensive advantages, with the mound rising prominently from the surrounding landscape to provide clear sightlines across the Annandale territory. The substantial earthworks remain well-preserved, testament to the effectiveness of this widespread form of fortification.
Mote of Annan is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under designation SM702, recognising its significance as a key example of Norman-influenced military architecture in the region. The monument contributes to the archaeological record of medieval lordship and territorial control in Dumfriesshire, a landscape marked by numerous such fortifications that shaped settlement patterns and power structures throughout the medieval period.
Mote of Annan, motte-and-bailey castle, 70m SSW of Moat House is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM702. View the official record →
Mote of Annan is a motte-and-bailey castle situated 70 metres south-south-west of Moat House in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM702.
Mote of Annan, motte-and-bailey castle, 70m SSW of Moat House dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte-and-bailey castle, 70m ssw of moat house. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Mote of Annan, motte-and-bailey castle, 70m SSW of Moat House 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 SM702.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Campfield (tower 2b) and associated parallel ditches and Roman road, 350m south west of Campfield Farm part of Roman frontier defences along Cumbrian coast (5.9 km), Pasture House (milefortlet 3), part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast (6.2 km), Pasture House turret 3a (6.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Mote of Annan, motte-and-bailey castle, 70m SSW of Moat House'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.
Mote of Annan, motte-and-bailey castle, 70m SSW of Moat House stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.