Alloway Mote
Ringwork (Early Medieval)(Possible)
Site Name Alloway Mote
Classification Ringwork (Early Medieval)(Possible)
Canmore ID 41610
Site Number NS31NW 3
NGR NS 3385 1798
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/41610
- Council South Ayrshire
- Parish Ayr
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Kyle And Carrick
- Former County Ayrshire
NS31NW 3 3385 1798.
(NS 3385 1798) Alloway Mote (NR)
OS 1:10000 map (1981)
Alloway Mote is listed by Talbot as an early medieval ring-work. A semi-oval earthen rampart encloses an area some 30ft in diameter, bounded on the W by a steep slope to the River Doon. The rampart is 5ft or 6ft high internally, while the hollowed-out interior stands some 8ft or 10ft above the level ground outside the rampart. The 'mote' is now covered with trees, shrubs, etc. Courts are said to have been held here. E J Talbot 1974; D Christison 1893; J Smith 1895; NSA 1845 (R Auld and
A Cuthill)
'Alloway Mote' is generally as described. It is a steep-sided mound, 3.5m high externally. The interior is basin-like, with 2.0m high slopes up the 'rampart', and a steep natural drop to the W.
Visited by OS (JD) 15 December 1955
Resurveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 17 November 1965
This tree-planted and scrub-covered ring-work is generally as described. There was probably a substantial ditch around the work, indicated now by silted ground and a depression around the S side which has been emphasised by a pathway and later landscape banking which is up to 1.0 m in height.
Visited by OS (JRL) 2 October 1980
Field Visit (29 April 1953)
This site was included within the RCAHMS Marginal Land Survey (1950-1962), an unpublished rescue project. Site descriptions, organised by county, are available to view online - see the searchable PDF in 'Digital Items'. These vary from short notes, to lengthy and full descriptions. Contemporary plane-table surveys and inked drawings, where available, can be viewed online in most cases - see 'Digital Images'. The original typecripts, notebooks and drawings can also be viewed in the RCAHMS search room.
Information from RCAHMS (GFG) 19 July 2013.
Field Visit (April 1985)
Alloway Mote NS 3385 1798 NS31NW 3
The remains of a ringwork are situated on the edge of an escarpment overlooking the River Doon, 475m N of Doonholm. Now D-shaped on plan, it measures 10.3m across internally and is defended on three sides by a massive bank (up to 9m thick and standing to a height of 1.8m above the interior and 5m above the exterior) with traces of an external ditch (8m broad and 1.5m deep) on the SSE. On the WNW, where erosion may have removed the defences, it is defined by steep slopes falling to the River Doon.
RCAHMS 1985, visited April 1985.
(NSA, v, Ayr, 39; Christison 1893, 385-6; Smith 1895, 157; Talbot 1974, 56; Stell 1985a, 15).
Archaeological Evaluation (3 October 2014)
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken in relation to a proposed residential development at Doonholm Road, Alloway, South Ayrshire. The evaluation required an 8% trenching sample of the development area. A total of 5 trenches of varying lengths and alignments were excavated throughout the site, encountering some modern field drains. No significant archaeological features or artefacts were revealed. No further works are considered necessary within the development area.
Information from Kevin Paton (AOC), 6 October 2014.
OASIS ID aocarcha1-191779
