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Camp Tops is an Iron Age fort, linear earthwork and field system located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. The monument occupies a defensible position on bedrock composed of Devonian extrusive rocks, including mafic lava and tuff that provide a naturally elevated and stable foundation. This volcanic geology, formed some 400 million years ago, would have offered both practical advantages for construction and visual prominence in the surrounding landscape.
The site comprises three distinct archaeological components typical of Iron Age settlement patterns in the Scottish Borders. The fort itself represents the fortified core of the settlement, whilst the linear earthwork and associated field system suggest a broader agricultural landscape that supported the community. These elements together indicate a hierarchical settlement with both defensive and productive functions.
Camp Tops is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM2106, recognising its archaeological significance as evidence of Iron Age society in the region. The combination of settlement, communication, and cultivation features preserved at the site provides important insights into how Iron Age communities integrated fortification, agriculture, and territorial organisation across the Roxburghshire landscape.
Camp Tops,fort,linear earthwork and field system is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2106. View the official record →
Camp Tops is an Iron Age fort, linear earthwork and field system located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2106.
Camp Tops,fort,linear earthwork and field system dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort,linear earthwork and field system. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Camp Tops,fort,linear earthwork and field system 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 SM2106.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Romano-British farmstead, 700m north east of Trows (5 km), Three cross dykes on Middle Hill (5.3 km), Unenclosed round house, 200m north of Barrow Cleugh (6.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Camp Tops,fort,linear earthwork and field system's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Camp Tops,fort,linear earthwork and field system stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.