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Craigie Hill fort is an Iron Age fortified settlement situated in Linlithgowshire, central Scotland. The site occupies a commanding position on bedrock formed from a Carboniferous to Permian mafic igneous intrusion, providing a naturally elevated and defensible location. This geological foundation would have offered both practical advantages for settlement and a distinctive landscape marker visible across the surrounding terrain.
The fort's defences comprise a single rampart enclosing the hilltop, a construction style typical of Iron Age fortifications in Scotland. Such univallate designs were common among later Iron Age communities, though the specific date of Craigie Hill's construction remains undetermined without excavation. The mafic igneous bedrock, harder and more durable than surrounding sedimentary deposits, would have presented significant challenges for quarrying and fortification work.
Craigie Hill fort is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1900, recognising its archaeological significance as a prehistoric defensive settlement. The site contributes to understanding Iron Age settlement patterns and territorial organisation in central Scotland, where hillforts and fortified sites served varied functions within their communities.
Craigie Hill,fort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1900. View the official record →
Craigie Hill fort is an Iron Age fortified settlement situated in Linlithgowshire, central Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1900.
Craigie 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.
Craigie 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 SM1900.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gogar Mains,fort,palisaded enclosure and field system 850m SSE of (3.5 km), Easter Norton,standing stone 280m WSW of (3.8 km), Union Canal, Fountainbridge to River Almond (5.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Craigie Hill,fort'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.
Craigie Hill,fort stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Carboniferous To Permian, bedrock that formed in the Permian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.