The motte and bailey castle at Peel Hill, Selkirk is an intriguing site. We know that by AD 1119, an earthen and timber castle stood on what is probably a natural mound, and this was rebuilt by Edward I in 1301-2 during the Wars of Independence.
It fell to the Scots almost immediately. By 1311 it was again in Edward’s hands, but by 1334 it appears to have fallen out of use or disappeared. By the 18th century, the site had been incorporated into the designed landscape surrounding the Georgian house and later the Palladian mansion of The Haining. Within this basic framework of facts are many unknowns: how the motte and bailey castle and subsequent pele tower were built and used, how they related to the medieval town of Selkirk, and how the development of the designed landscape may have helped shape the site. There are also conservation management issues, with the trees and shrubs – some of which are planted features of the designed landscape – possibly having affected the buried archaeological remains.
This project will bring together volunteers from the Selkirk and wider community with archaeologists to investigate the site’s history and gather information to address some of its management needs. Volunteers participating in the project will acquire skills in desk-based research and archaeological fieldwork and will contribute to generating knowledge about Selkirk Castle. Staff from Northlight Heritage will be directing the archaeological and historical research. Northlight Heritage is a Glasgow-based, non-profit organisation (part of the York Archaeological Trust family) which works to explain the past for the benefit of present and future generations, and to involve people in exploring their heritage (northlight-heritage.co.uk).
It fell to the Scots almost immediately. By 1311 it was again in Edward’s hands, but by 1334 it appears to have fallen out of use or disappeared. By the 18th century, the site had been incorporated into the designed landscape surrounding the Georgian house and later the Palladian mansion of The Haining. Within this basic framework of facts are many unknowns: how the motte and bailey castle and subsequent pele tower were built and used, how they related to the medieval town of Selkirk, and how the development of the designed landscape may have helped shape the site. There are also conservation management issues, with the trees and shrubs – some of which are planted features of the designed landscape – possibly having affected the buried archaeological remains.
This project will bring together volunteers from the Selkirk and wider community with archaeologists to investigate the site’s history and gather information to address some of its management needs. Volunteers participating in the project will acquire skills in desk-based research and archaeological fieldwork and will contribute to generating knowledge about Selkirk Castle. Staff from Northlight Heritage will be directing the archaeological and historical research. Northlight Heritage is a Glasgow-based, non-profit organisation (part of the York Archaeological Trust family) which works to explain the past for the benefit of present and future generations, and to involve people in exploring their heritage (northlight-heritage.co.uk).
Volunteer Lindsay has been given permission to publish this image from the RCAHMS (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland) survey of the Motte and Bailley castle at Peel hill in Selkirk. To view the information recorded during this survey click here