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Pennytersal Farm Motte is a medieval earthwork located in Renfrewshire, in south-western Scotland. The motte stands approximately 235 metres south-west of Pennytersal Farm itself, occupying a defensible position characteristic of Norman and early medieval fortifications. The monument comprises an artificial mound constructed from local materials and represents a common form of military architecture established across Scotland during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
The motte's strategic location reflects careful consideration of the surrounding landscape, with the underlying bedrock of Dinantian mafic lava and tuff providing a stable foundation. This ancient volcanic geology, formed during the Mississippian period, has weathered over hundreds of millions of years to create the soils now supporting the earthwork and its surrounding terrain. The solid bedrock would have offered security against undermining during both its medieval use and subsequent centuries.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the designation SM12893, recognising its significance as evidence of medieval territorial control and settlement patterns in Renfrewshire. Mottes of this type, often constructed during the period of Anglo-Norman influence in Scotland, typically served as administrative and defensive focal points for local lordships, though their brief period of prominence often gave way to more substantial stone structures as medieval fortification methods evolved.
Pennytersal Farm, motte 235m SW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12893. View the official record →
Pennytersal Farm Motte is a medieval earthwork located in Renfrewshire, in south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12893.
Pennytersal Farm, motte 235m SW of dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Pennytersal Farm, motte 235m SW of 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 SM12893.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including High Mathernock, AA battery 350m WSW and camp 360 SW of (1.4 km), Duchal Castle (2.7 km), Duchal House, motte 570m NE of (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Pennytersal Farm, motte 235m SW of'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.
Pennytersal Farm, motte 235m SW of stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Dinantian, bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.