Mote of Mark

The Mote of Mark is an important hillfort which was occupied in the 6th century. The site is well signposted and open to the public, but it is a stiff climb to reach the summit. The summit was defended by a timber-laced stone wall, with two entrances, and this remains as a small bank which can barely be seen today, although masses of boulders lower down came from the wall. A second rampart is less well preserved.

The summit contained two huts of drystone construction, and archaeology produced many high quality artifacts of 6th to 9th century date showing trade with Europe, and demonstrated that the fort was destroyed by burning in the latter 7th century. It was only used later sporadically, and not as a high-status site. Whilst there is no evidence exists to show medieval use, the strategic strengths of the site are clear, and the presence of a lost castle at Castlehill Point, Barcloy, makes it hard to think the approach to the Urr estuary was undefended in medieval times.

The site is named after Mark, King of Dumnonia, the aggrieved husband in the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Iseult – and was in use at the time postulated as “Arthurian”. It was almost certainly one of the high-status sites of the early medieval kingdom of Rheged, and destroyed during wars with the Angles of Northumbria.

HES Canmore database entry