What is recorded here

Harbottle Castle stands in Coquetdale, Northumberland, where a Norman motte and bailey emerged in the early twelfth century before a later stone shell keep reinforced the border stronghold. Its substantial earthworks still rise above the valley, marking centuries of cross-border conflict and lordly administration. The mound may have felt less like a monument and more like a warning, its ditches and banks shaping every approach until stone gave the warning bones.

The National Heritage List for England records Motte and bailey castle and shell keep castle at Harbottle as a scheduled monument. The saved point comes from the centre supplied by the official record. Listing does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Built by the de Multon family in the 12th century, Harbottle Castle was later held by the powerful Percy family in the 14th century. It is important as a key defensive site in northern England and as an example of medieval military architecture.

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