A motte castle 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. In many cases the mound may have been further strengthened with palisades and revetments which will no longer be visible but may be revealed by archaeological excavation, as may other features such as bridges, gateways, and steps.
Motte castles are usually fairly easy to identify as field monuments, although the mottes can sometimes be wrongly attributed, as excavation has shown at Pontesbury (mutilated ringwork with possible traces of a bailey), and Puriton (slagheap). Sometimes large barrows, windmill mounds, and garden landscape features have been confused with the remains of motte castles. It is possible that some mounds may have been used for more than one of these purposes; the siting of the mound can be significant as the mottes often dominate a road, river crossing, or settlement. Close attention to historical documents can also be important in recognising and authenticating motte castles.
Specifically excluded from this description are those mottes which are found in conjunction with one or more banked and ditched enclosures; these are considered as a separate class of motte and bailey castles. It may be noted, however, that some monuments may have first comprised a motte castle and them later, through the addition of a bailey, have become a motte and bailey castle.
Motte castles were military strongholds, built as a base for offensive operations, and are found in urban areas and in rural settings.