Somerville Motte, Carnwath

Recent news about celebrations in connection with the Somerville family have led me to add this article.

The early history of the Somerville family

Coming to Carnwath from the West one of the first things that one notices is a large motte. This is the largest and best-preserved motte in Clydesdale, but unfortunately it has lost the bailey. The bailey was the area where the garrison lived alongside the Lord of the manor and some tenants. The motte itself did not provide much living space. On top of the motte would be a wooden tower which gave the defenders a good view of the surrounding countryside.

This magnificent earthwork was constructed by the Somerville family during the early twelfth century after they had been invited to take charge of the lands of Linton in Roxburghshire and Carnwath. It might seem rather strange that their lands were so far apart but that was typical of the land grants in the early Middle Ages. A similar situation existed concerning their lands in England. When they came to England with William the Conqueror, they were granted lands at Witchenour in Staffordshire as well as lands around Barnsley in West Yorkshire.

The motte

The motte was built by Sir William de Somerville about 1140 and the earth to create it was all dug by hand. However earth was not the only material used as there is a plausible tradition that there was a stone tower in the centre of the motte around which the earth was placed. If true, then Carnwath motte is unique. One indication on the top of the motte is a depression where a tower could have been. The stones from such a tower would have been re-used in later centuries.

There is a story about the motte which states that if you dig into the top of the motte, you risk being struck by lightning. This was confirmed for me when I took a group of Adult Education Students to the top of the motte. We were accompanied by a dog. The dog rashly dug into the motte, then there was a rumble of thunder accompanied by a flash of lightning. Fortunately, the dog survived to live another day.

This aerial view is courtesy of Google Earth

The travels of William Lord Somerville

The Somervilles continued to live in the vicinity of the Motte till the time of The Wars of Independence. Of the earliest members of the family perhaps the most famous is William Lord Somerville, who went to Damietta in Egypt on the 5th Crusade in 1218 at the request of Robert de Lacy Earl of Chester and owner of Pontefract Castle. He was obliged to do this as he had lands around Barnsley near Pontefract. Robert de Lacy was one of the main leaders of this Crusade whose aim was to restore the Kingdom of Jerusalem to John de Brienne.

It must have been some undertaking to plan a trip in 1218 from his main residence in Scotland. William would have had to recruit about thirty men and provide horses, weapons and armour as well as payment for their services. The campaign was a risky enterprise involving travel to the South of France and then by ship to Egypt. Disease was an additional problem, apart from the dangers of fighting. William survived all the challenges to return to Scotland. After his death in 1228, he was buried in Melrose Abbey as a mark of the high regard in which he was held.

Ed Archer, Wednesday, 12 February 2025