GM364

Cottrell Castle Mound  

10/03/1975  

Designated  

Vale of Glamorgan  

St. Nicholas and Bonvilston  

308089  

174506  

Defence  

Motte  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a motte and ditch, dating to the medieval period (c. 1066 -1540 AD). A motte is a large conical or pyramidal mound of soil and/or stone, usually surrounded by either a wet or dry ditch, and surmounted by a tower constructed of timber or stone. Cottrell consists of a flat-topped mound 35m in diameter with the top measuring 21m in diameter. The sides are of varying height and steepness; on the west the side is 2.5m high with no ditch. On the north side it is 2m high with a 5m wide berm and then a further drop of 1.5m. The east side is less well defined, with a 2.2m height, then a 4m wide berm and a further 1m drop - this side is steep. The south side is less steep and measures 1.5m high with a ditch 1.5m wide by 1m deep outside it. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval defensive practices. The monument is well-preserved and an important relic of the medieval landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both structural evidence and intact associated deposits. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.