Scheduled Monument

Midmar, Church, settlement and (Cunningar) motteSM100

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
21/02/1955
Last Date Amended
02/06/2000
Supplementary Information Updated
22/08/2017
Type
Ecclesiastical: church, Secular: motte; settlement, including deserted and depopulated and townships
Local Authority
Aberdeenshire
Parish
Midmar
NGR
NJ 70126 5910
Coordinates
370126, 805910

Description

The monument comprises the site of the medieval settlement of Midmar. Its most prominent features are the motte, known as Cunningar Motte, and the old parish church. Between them is an area of open ground which is likely to contain the remains of the associated settlement. The motte was first scheduled in 1955 and this rescheduling is intended to incorporate all parts of the settlement.

The monument lies in improved grassland, occupying a gentle spur between two watercourses. The motte comprises an artificial mound of earth measuring approximately 40m in diameter, and upstanding to a height of about 10m. The summit of the motte appears to have been ringed by an earthen bank to support the palisade but this may be the result of previous rabbit damage (Cunningar means rabbit warren). At the foot of the motte there are traces, particularly to the SW, of an encircling ditch. The motte was constructed to form the defensive base for the timber residence of either a Norman lord or a Normanised indigenous nobleman, and is likely to date to the 12th or the 13th century. Lordly occupation of the motte had ceased by the 16th Century when Midmar Castle was built almost a kilometre to the SE.

The church as it stands dates from the 17th century but occupies the site of an earlier building. It is complete to wallheads and has been subdivided to form family burial enclosures. The church was abandoned in c.1787 when the new church was built over half a kilometre to the N.

The likelihood that the ground between the motte and the church contained the related settlement is supported by the difficulty which stone in this field presents to the plough. At the NE edge of the field there is a strip of land which contrasts clearly with the rest of the field and may mark the line of a road.

The NE and SW edges of the area to be scheduled are defined by the edges of the field. The area is irregular in shape measuring 230m from its northernmost corner to its southernmost, and 110m NNE-SSW, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

References

Bibliography

No Bibliography entries for this designation

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

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Printed: 28/03/2024 13:10