The Bass - Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 57° 16.535 W 002° 21.921
30V E 538267 N 6348241
Information sign at the foot of what was part of a motte and bailey castle in what is now Inverurie Cemetery.
Waymark Code: WM18NWE
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/01/2023
Views: 0
This information sign can be found within the cemetery on the southern edge of the Aberdeenshire town of Inverurie. It is situated at the foot of a 50 feet high mound of what was once a motte and bailey castle built in the 12th century. The text reads as follows:
'The Bass - Inverurie Castle
The large mounds in front of you are part of a motte and bailey castle thought to have been built in the 12th Century AD, one of the oldest castle sites in Scotland. The castle appears to have been an administrative centre for the Garioch area during the 12th and 13th Centuries AD, administered by the Heridatary Constables of the Garioch, the de Lesselyn Family (later Leslies).
The mounds are natural, but the sides were steepened and a deep ditch formed around the base to deter attackers. The site was well defended, with the River Urie on the north side and low-lying marshy ground all around as well as the defensive ditch and stockade.
The two mounds were originally joined, only being divided during landscaping works in 1883 - the larger mound formed the motte of the castle and the smaller mound (or "Little Bass"), to the east, formed the bailey. On the summit of the motte there would have been a timber tower, and in the bailey area a collection of timber buildings including a hall, stables, workshops, kitchens and stores. Access from the bailey to the motte was by means of an oak gangway traces of which were found in 1883.
Fragments of a pottery jug decorated with a face dating from the 14th Century A.D. suggests that the castle continued in use well into that century. It may have been here, in 1308, that Robert the Bruce lay ill before marching to fight and defeat the Comyn, Earl of Buchan, at the Battle of Barra (near Oldmeldrum) during the Wars of Independence.
As well as being occupied in the Medieval period, there is evidence of Prehistoric activity at the site. The frequent discovery of flint implements, cores and flakes all around the castle suggests a Neolithic occupation of the site, and a fine polished stone adze suggests Bronze Age activity.'