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Latitude: 55.9387 / 55°56'19"N
Longitude: -3.585 / 3°35'6"W
OS Eastings: 301088
OS Northings: 672869
OS Grid: NT010728
Mapcode National: GBR 1S.YY9J
Mapcode Global: WH5R8.XZ0Q
Entry Name: South Mains,homestead moat 200m N of
Scheduled Date: 24 July 1995
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Source ID: SM6207
Schedule Class: Cultural
Category: Secular: homestead moat
Location: Linlithgow
County: West Lothian
Electoral Ward: Linlithgow
Traditional County: West Lothian
The monument comprises the remains of a homestead moat of medieval date surviving as a raised area in an arable field and visible on oblique aerial photographs.
The monument is a five-sided homestead moat raised slightly above the surrounding area which has been ill-drained pastureland. It measures approximately 100m E-W by 65m within a ditch up to some 11m wide. No entrance is visible. An mound within the W corner may be the location of an internal building. The site has been suggested as the medieval predecessor of the nearby Tartraven Castle, representing an early centre of the Lordship of Tartraven.
The area to be scheduled encompasses the visible features and an area around them in which traces of associated activity may be expected to survive. It is sub-rectangular with maximum dimensions of 130m E-W by 100m as marked in red on the accompanying map. Existing drains are excluded from the provisions of scheduling, to allow for maintenance.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
The monument is of national importance because of its potential to add to our understanding of medieval lordship centres. The low-lying position of the site and the relative massiveness of the ditches suggest that waterlogged material may survive which could contribute greatly to our understanding of the economy and environment of the area in the medieval period.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Bibliography
RCAHMS records the monument as NT 07 SW 14.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Other nearby scheduled monuments