Scheduled Monument
Peel of Fichlie, motteSM10730
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
- 04/02/2003
- Type
- Secular: motte
- Local Authority
- Aberdeenshire
- Parish
- Towie
- NGR
- NJ 45990 13912
- Coordinates
- 345990, 813912
Description
The monument comprises the remains of an earth and timber castle known as the Peel of Fichlie, which is situated at about 250m OD between Glaschul Hill and the River Don.
The lands of Fichlie appear to have been held by the Durward family during the 13th century, and the Peel of Fichlie may have been built to secure these northern holdings.
The remains of the earth and timber castle consist of a motte, perhaps with a bailey. The motte stands between two gullies to the N and S, which unite in the E below the motte, leaving a triangular area of ground which may have functioned as the bailey. The motte is roughly square, measuring some 40m across the summit, and stands to a height of 9m on the NW and 6m on the SE. A bank around the lip of the motte on the NE side is probably a relatively late agricultural bank, although a low internal scarp around the NW and SE creates the impression that the summit is slightly dished, suggesting the possible presence of an earlier but now ploughed-down bank. There is a shallow ditch, 10m wide, around the base of the motte on the NE and SE sides, although this too has been much reduced by ploughing, and on the SE appears as little more than a terrace. The natural gullies flanking the site offer additional protection.
The area to be scheduled includes the motte and an area around it within which related archaeological evidence is likely to survive. The area to be scheduled has maximum dimensions of 103m N-S by 84m E-W. The SW boundary follows the line of a fence, but the fence itself is excluded from the scheduling.
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.
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