The Anglo-Norman Lovel or Lovell family were granted land at Hawick by David I in the 12th century, and built a wooden motte and bailey castle on a raised ridge above the Slitrig Water.

The diameter at the base of the motte is around 29.75m, and it rises to a height of 7.6m. The diameter of the top is around 12.5m, and commands views over the town of Hawick below.

The motte was originally surrounded by a flat-bottomed ditch, measuring between 4.3m and 8.5m in width, and between 1.2m and 2.1m deep. The ditch has now been filled in and is no longer visible.

Outside the ditch would have been various buildings, with the whole site surrounded by a bailey. This enclosed courtyard, which has long since gone, is thought to approximately correspond with the boundaries of the park in which the motte stands.