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St John's Town of Dalry, motte is a medieval defensive earthwork located in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-western Scotland. The monument consists of an artificial mound constructed from locally available material, rising above the surrounding landscape. Such mottes typically served as the stronghold of a feudal lord during the medieval period, with the earthen mound providing a strategic vantage point and defensive position for a timber palisade and keep.
The motte sits upon bedrock formed from wacke of the Shinnel Formation and Glenlee Formation, Ashgill in age. This solid geological foundation would have provided stable ground for the construction of the earthwork and the structures that crowned it. The local stone and soil resources available from this bedrock would have been utilised in raising the mound itself.
The monument is protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1117. Medieval mottes in Scotland often became obsolete following the introduction of stone castles and the consolidation of baronial power, though some sites retained significance into the early modern period. St John's Town of Dalry, motte remains an important archaeological record of medieval settlement and lordly authority in the region.
St John's Town of Dalry, motte is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1117. View the official record →
St John's Town of Dalry, motte is a medieval defensive earthwork located in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1117.
St John's Town of Dalry, 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.
St John's Town of Dalry, 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 SM1117.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Earlston Castle (2.8 km), Dalarran Holm,standing stone (2.9 km), Balmaclellan Motte (3.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of St John's Town of Dalry, 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.
St John's Town of Dalry, motte stands on Shinnel Formation And Glenlee Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is wacke.