The Scheduled Ancient Monument of Alloway Mote,
also known as the Alloway Moat or Alloway Motte, is a roughly circular earthwork
that is regarded as a possible early medieval
ringwork
A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the site.
...
,
[ located near the village of ]Alloway
Alloway ( gd, Allmhaigh, ) is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland, located on the River Doon. It is best known as the birthplace of Robert Burns and the setting for his poem "Tam o' Shanter". Tobias Bachope, the mason responsible for the cons ...
in South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
Location
Alloway Mote stands at the tip of a pronounced meander of the River Doon
The River Doon ( gd, Abhainn Dhùin, ) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. Its course is generally north-westerly, passing near to the town of Dalmellington, and through the villages of Patna, Dalrymple, and Alloway, birthplace of Robert Burns. T ...
just to the south of the connection between Murdoch's Lone and Doonholm Road, between the river and the entrance road to the Doonholm Estate;[
]
Description
The remnants of a moat or ditch are discernible and the summit of the mote has a D-shaped concavity that is defended on the landward sides by a substantial and steep curved earth bank.[ The approximate internal width is , and the substantial earth bank is up to thick and has a height above the interior floor of . The exterior height from ground level is around .][ Beech tree plantings, natural scrub and a typical woodland sward covers the ring-work that was once ringed with a wood palisade rather than a stone wall.
]
History
In the 12th century the River Doon
The River Doon ( gd, Abhainn Dhùin, ) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. Its course is generally north-westerly, passing near to the town of Dalmellington, and through the villages of Patna, Dalrymple, and Alloway, birthplace of Robert Burns. T ...
is thought to have represented the physical boundary between the kingdoms of the Scots and that of Galloway. Alloway therefore, situated as it is in South Kyle, was on the border with Carrick and after the defeat of the Galloway forces a peace agreement was reached 1186.Ayr Castle
Ayr Castle was a castle situated at Ayr in Scotland. Once considered a royal castle, nothing remains of it above ground.
History
In 1197, the castle was built by King William the Lion of Scotland, who later in 1205 created a burgh at Ayr. The ...
was built in 1197 and the focus of military and judicial control shifted to Ayr resulting in the abandonment of Alloway Mote.[
The historian John Smith in the 1890s visited the site and refers to it as a "''moat, court-hill, tumulus or mound''", and stated that according to the Ayr Town Records it had been used as an open air court where trials had taken place. He states that its appearance does not fully coincide with a typical court hill but puts that down to the activity of treasure hunters.][ Recent study of the Ayr records however show that the Ayr tolbooth was the usual meeting place for the courts casting doubt on Smith's statement.][
It is likely that a domestic settlement was associated with Alloway Mote, but archaeological excavations have so far failed to find any evidence to confirm this or to suggest a likely location.][
]
References
Notes;
Bibliography
* Campbell, Thorbjorn (2003). ''Ayrshire. A Historical Guide.'' Edinburgh: Birlinn. .
* Smith, J. (1895) ''Prehistoric man in Ayrshire''. London: Elliot Stock.
External links
Video footage of Alloway Mote
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alloway Mote
Buildings and structures in South Ayrshire
Villages in South Ayrshire
History of South Ayrshire