Scheduled MonumentsScotlandBlyth Hill,fort
Iron Age · Fort

Blyth Hill,fort

Scotland
HES SM2990
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Blyth Hill fort is an Iron Age hillfort located in Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. The monument sits on bedrock of the Lanark Group, a formation of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate that dates to the Early Devonian period, providing a stable foundation of locally available stone that could have been quarried for defensive structures. The fort occupies a prominent position within the rolling landscape characteristic of this region of southern Scotland.

The site is typical of Iron Age fortifications constructed across the Scottish Lowlands during the latter centuries before the Roman period. Such forts served multiple purposes: defensive strongholds during an era of inter-tribal competition, administrative centres for local populations, and refuges in times of conflict. The choice of hilltop location offered commanding views across the surrounding terrain, essential for both surveillance and control of the landscape.

Blyth Hill fort is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM2990, ensuring its preservation for future study and public understanding. The site remains an important archaeological record of Iron Age settlement patterns and social organisation in Peeblesshire, contributing to our knowledge of how communities in southern Scotland organised their settlements and defences during the pre-Roman Iron Age.

Blyth Hill,fort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2990. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Blyth Hill,fort?

Blyth Hill fort is an Iron Age hillfort located in Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2990.

What period does Blyth Hill,fort date from?

Blyth Hill,fort dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Blyth Hill,fort?

Blyth Hill,fort 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 SM2990.

What other scheduled monuments are near Blyth Hill,fort?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Clashpock Rig,homestead (5.5 km), Broughtonknowe, ring enclosures & barrow 420m NE of (6.6 km), Broughtonknowe,three barrows 230m SE of (7 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Blyth Hill,fort

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Blyth Hill,fort'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 Blyth Hill,fort

Blyth Hill,fort stands on Lanark Group, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.