Scheduled MonumentsScotlandCharge Law Plantation,fort & settlement
Iron Age · Fort & settlement

Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement

Scotland
HES SM2942
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort & settlement
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Charge Law Plantation is an Iron Age fort and settlement located in Peeblesshire, occupying high ground composed of Gala Group wacke, a hard sedimentary rock formed during the Telychian period. The site commands views across the surrounding landscape, a location typical of Iron Age fortified settlements that exploited natural defensibility and territorial visibility.

The fort comprises the remains of defensive earthworks characteristic of the period, with the settlement evidence indicating occupation beyond the ramparts. The wacke bedrock underlying Charge Law would have presented both challenge and advantage to Iron Age inhabitants: difficult to quarry for construction materials, but providing a naturally stable foundation and enhanced defensive position on the hillside.

The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2942, recognising its significance as evidence of Iron Age settlement patterns and social organisation in the Borders region. Such fortified sites remain vital to understanding how Iron Age communities in southern Scotland organised their defences and exploited the local geology and topography for settlement purposes.

Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2942. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement?

Charge Law Plantation is an Iron Age fort and settlement located in Peeblesshire, occupying high ground composed of Gala Group wacke, a hard sedimentary rock formed during the Telychian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2942.

What period does Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement date from?

Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort & settlement. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement?

Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement 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 SM2942.

What other scheduled monuments are near Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castle Knowe, fort (1.6 km), Upper Newby,fort 320m SSE of (1.9 km), Upper Newby,fort 910m SSE of (2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement'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 Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement

Charge Law Plantation,fort & settlement stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.