Scheduled MonumentsScotlandBack Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith
Iron Age · Fort 580m s of knock,monreith

Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith

Scotland
HES SM1979
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort 580m s of knock,monreith
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Back Bay Fort is an Iron Age fort located 580 metres south of Knock near Monreith in Wigtownshire, Scotland. The site occupies ground underlain by the Hawick Group wacke, a hard sedimentary bedrock formed during the Wenlock period of the Palaeozoic era. This geology would have provided a stable foundation for the fort's defensive earthworks and structures.

The fort represents a significant prehistoric settlement, constructed during the Iron Age when such fortified sites served as centres of power, defence and community organisation across southern Scotland. Its position in Wigtownshire, in the south-west of the country, places it within a region that developed distinctive forms of Iron Age settlement.

The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1979, reflecting its importance to Scotland's archaeological and cultural heritage. The fort's survival as an upstanding earthwork allows it to remain a visible element of the Iron Age landscape, contributing to our understanding of prehistoric settlement patterns and territorial organisation in the region.

Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1979. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith?

Back Bay Fort is an Iron Age fort located 580 metres south of Knock near Monreith in Wigtownshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1979.

What period does Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith date from?

Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort 580m s of knock,monreith. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith?

Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM1979.

What other scheduled monuments are near Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kirkmaiden,church & burial ground (0.8 km), Stellock,cup & ring marked rocks ENE of,Monreith (2.1 km), The Wren's Egg, two standing stones 18m ENE and two standing stones 406m SSE of (2.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith

Back Bay,fort 580m S of Knock,Monreith stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.