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.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM10726_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013753)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a medieval motte and bailey castle, surviving as substantial earthworks and as buried archaeology, together with an area enclosing the outer defences.

The site is located 160m SW of a crossing on the Clyde, although the setting is now divorced from the river by the M74 motorway. The artificially constructed motte, situated in a slight rise at 25m OD in the haugh-land of the Clyde, is a flat-topped mound with considerably spread slopes. Its maximum height above the adjacent ground level is 3m, while the diameter of the top is around 18m. The summit would have been accessed from a small bailey, which is stepped down from the summit on the E side. A ditch would have enclosed the earthwork, although there is no surface trace of this now. The site is currently cloaked in dense vegetation.

The site is believed to have formed part of an early medieval demesne of the kings of Strathclyde. Until 1922, the 11th-century Nethertoun Cross stood some 60m N of the motte, and the area between the two has long been considered to be the old toun of Cadzow (which was the original name for Hamilton). The motte is likely to be the documented royal residence in which both David I (1124-53) and Alexander III (1249-86) held court. By the 15th century the settlement focus had shifted 700m to the S, to the location where Hamilton Palace and Collegiate church later developed. The motte may have been redundant by this time.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to survive. The area is irregular on plan, with maximum dimensions of 140m E-W by 155m N-S, as marked in red on the accompanying map. The modern fences are excluded from the scheduling.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as the well preserved remains of a documented, early royal castle, in association with an important pre-burghal settlement. The site has the potential to provide information on the development and form of such earthwork castles, on a site with likely pre-feudal origins. The monument is also likely to contain evidence which would inform a wider understanding of modest royal castle and court sites of this period. The immediate surrounding area has the potential to provide important archaeological information regarding the infrastructure of such residences, notably the remains of domestic and ancillary ranges.

References

Bibliography

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.