ye mote (The Gatehouse Record of the Aglionby Platt)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; ffergus grame, High Moat; Liddale; Liddel Moat; Moate

In the civil parish of Kirkandrews.
In the historic county of Cumberland, England.
Modern Authority of Cumbria, England.
1974 county of Cumbria, England.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY396737
Latitude 55.05456° Longitude -2.94546°

The given map reference is suggested as the probable location of ye mote shown on the Aglionby Platt.

There are no visible remains.

The likely form(s) of this building in 1590 are;

Pele House ('bastle').

Reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland

Description

A tower of 'ffergus grame' is depicted on the 1552 map of Cumbria, as a tower called 'ye mote' on the map of 1590, and as a house called 'The Mote' on the plot of 1607. This could have been a tower and moat rather than a motte. (PastScape)

NY399738
Possible Tower or Motte.
Marked on the 1552 Map as a tower and houses of 'ffergus grame', on the 1590 Map as a tower on 'ye mote' and as a tower at 'The mote' on the 1607 Platt. Tower also shown on the 1607 Platt at Red Hill NY 409 735, which may have been on the site of Moat Farm. (Perriam and Robinson 1998)

Comments

The sites shown on the 1552 map do tend to have been pele-towers (unlike the later maps where stonehouses are usual) although this is shown as a three storey house with roof, rather than with the crenellations shown on other towers. The Graham's where a large family with many branches of varying social status and wealth but some members did have the wealth to build pele-towers.
'The area around Liddel Strength (often called The Mote of Liddel), became known as Kirkandrews Moat and numerous locations in the area have a 'moat' placename - this should not be taken as evidence of a moat or motte at any location other than at Liddel Strength.

The resident householder c. 1590.

1561 - Fargus Greymes ("The names of the Greymes of Eske and Leven within the Countie of Cumberland gyven in by Richard Greyme of Netherbye to the Lorde Dacre, Warden of the West Marche of England" P.R.O. SP 59/9 ff. 197-203 (CSP For, 1561-62, no. 442), dated 23 August i 56 r)
1602 - William Grame (Scrope List 1602 - Richard Bell's manuscript History of the Borders, ff. 211-215)
- see Spence, R.T., 1980, 'The Graham Clans and Lands on the eve of the Jacobean Pacification' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 80 p. 92 online copy

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape (The online National Monument Record for England) Number 10858.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 25.

Books
- Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 238
  Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 99 (slight)
  Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carlisle: Carel Press) p. 72
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 93
  Hyslop, J. and Hyslop, R., 1912, Langholm as it was: a history of Langholm and Eskdale from the earliest times p. 357 online copy
  Jeffrey, A., 1864, History and Antiquities of Roxburghshire Vol. 4 p. 232 (facsimile of map) online copy
Periodical Articles
- Graham, T.H.B., 1914, 'The Debatable Land Part II' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 14 facing p. 148 online copy online copy of 1607 platt online copy of 1552 map
  Ellis, H., 1829, 'Copy of a manuscript tract addressed to Lord Burghley, illustrative of the Border topography of Scotland, AD 1590, with a platt or map of the Borders taken in the same year' Archaeologia Vol. 22 p. 161-71 online copy
Maps (Early maps)
- 1552, the Debatable Land, Cumberland and Scotland, with lines of proposed divisions online copy (ffergus greme)
  1590, A Platt of the opposete Borders of Scotland to ye west marches of England (The Aglionby Platt) British Library online Gallery and Old Cumbria Gazetteer
  1607, Platt of the Forrest of Nicholl and the Mannor of Liddale, Arthurett and Randelinton with the Debatable groundes online copy (The Mote)

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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The Gatehouse website record of

ye mote (Highmoat; The Mote)

a location shown on a 1590 map of the West Marches of Scotland (The Aglionby Platt)