Scheduled MonumentsScotlandCardon,fort NW of
Iron Age · Fort

Cardon,fort NW of

Scotland
HES SM876
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Cardon is a hillfort situated in Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. The fort occupies ground underlain by wacke deposits of the Portpatrick and Glenwhargen Formations, dating to the Caradocian period. This hard, fine-grained bedrock provides a substantial natural foundation, typical of the upland terrain that characterised Iron Age settlement in this region.

The fort belongs to the tradition of univallate or multivallate hillforts constructed across southern Scotland during the Iron Age. Such fortifications typically exploited naturally defensible hilltop locations, as here, combining landscape advantage with constructed earthwork defences. The wacke bedrock, whilst challenging for ditch excavation, would have offered stable ground for rampart construction and settlement.

The site is protected as a scheduled monument under the care of Historic Environment Scotland, reference SM876, recognising its archaeological significance as evidence of Iron Age settlement patterns and social organisation in the Borders region. The fort contributes to understanding how communities exploited the Peeblesshire uplands during this period, adapting their defensive strategies to the local geology and topography.

Cardon,fort NW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM876. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cardon,fort NW of?

Cardon is a hillfort situated in Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM876.

What period does Cardon,fort NW of date from?

Cardon,fort NW of 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 Cardon,fort NW of?

Cardon,fort NW 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 SM876.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cardon,fort NW of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Chester Knowes, enclosure (5.6 km), Tripans Knowe,enclosure (5.8 km), Glenkerie Burn,fort (6.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Cardon,fort NW of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cardon,fort NW 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 Cardon,fort NW of

Cardon,fort NW of stands on Portpatrick Formation And Glenwhargen Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is wacke.