Scheduled MonumentsScotlandBirgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of
Iron Age · Fort and enclosures

Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of

Scotland
HES SM5017
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort and enclosures
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Birgham Haugh is an Iron Age fort and enclosures located in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders. The monument lies approximately 800 metres south-west of Birgham village, occupying ground underlain by sandstone, siltstone and mudstone of the Inverclyde Group. These sedimentary rocks, laid down during the Osagean period, provide the geological foundation upon which the Iron Age settlement was constructed.

The site comprises a fortified enclosure alongside associated earthwork divisions, evidence of a defended settlement dating to the later prehistoric period. Such forts represent the established settlement pattern of Iron Age communities in the Borders, serving simultaneously as domestic centres and defensive strongholds. The choice of location reflects the typical Iron Age settlement strategy of combining access to productive land with the natural advantages of the surrounding terrain.

Birgham Haugh is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM5017. The monument survives as earthworks visible in the present landscape, offering evidence of Iron Age occupation and social organisation in Berwickshire. The site remains an important archaeological resource for understanding settlement patterns and defensive strategies during the Iron Age period in this region of the Scottish Borders.

Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5017. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of?

Birgham Haugh is an Iron Age fort and enclosures located in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5017.

What period does Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of date from?

Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort and enclosures. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of?

Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of 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 SM5017.

What other scheduled monuments are near Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Redden,fort and enclosure 750m E of (0.9 km), Lochton,enclosure 250m SSE of (1 km), Redden, settlement 60m SE of (1.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of

Birgham Haugh,fort and enclosures 800m SW of stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.