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Fast Castle

Motte (medieval)

What is recorded here

Fast Castle stands as a ruined coastal fortress on a narrow promontory in Berwickshire, where forty-five metre cliffs dropped into the North Sea and a drawbridge controlled the only land entry. Rebuilt by 1522 for George Home after chaotic destruction in 1515, it hosted Margaret Tudor in 1503 and faced English capture during the Rough Wooing. A cave at the cliff foot may have given inhabitants a hidden sea route, while a pulley and basket lowered people or goods past the rock.
Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Fast Castle as Motte (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 10m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.
Fast Castle was a medieval motte-and-bailey castle, likely built in the 12th or 13th century, during the period of Norman influence in Scotland. It is remembered as an example of early military architecture in the region, reflecting the strategic importance of such sites in controlling local territory.

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