Scheduled MonumentsScotlandDrumcarrow Craig, broch
Iron Age · Broch

Drumcarrow Craig, broch

Scotland
HES SM808
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Broch
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Drumcarrow Craig is a broch situated in Fife, Scotland, and protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM808. Brochs are distinctive Iron Age stone towers that represent one of Scotland's most remarkable archaeological monuments, concentrated in the northern and western regions. This broch stands upon bedrock formed from the Clackmannan Group, sedimentary rocks laid down during the Westphalian period when Scotland lay beneath ancient seas and deltas.

The tower's construction exploits the natural rocky outcrop at Drumcarrow Craig, integrating the landscape into its defensive and residential design. The broch form, with its hollow-walled circular construction and internal galleries, represents a sophisticated architectural response to the social and military needs of Iron Age Fife during the first centuries before and after the Roman occupation of southern Britain.

The Clackmannan Group bedrock underlying the site is characteristic of the coal measures geology that defines much of central Scotland's stratigraphy. This foundation of sedimentary strata would have been well known to the broch's builders, whose choice of location demonstrates both practical understanding of the local landscape and strategic positioning within the Iron Age settlement hierarchy of the Forth valley region.

Drumcarrow Craig, broch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM808. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Drumcarrow Craig, broch?

Drumcarrow Craig is a broch situated in Fife, Scotland, and protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM808.

What period does Drumcarrow Craig, broch date from?

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

Who is responsible for protecting Drumcarrow Craig, broch?

Drumcarrow Craig, broch 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 SM808.

What other scheduled monuments are near Drumcarrow Craig, broch?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Drumcarrow Craig, hut circles (0.4 km), Denork Craig, Fort (0.6 km), Morton of Blebo,motte 350m S of (3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Drumcarrow Craig, broch

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Drumcarrow Craig, broch'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 Drumcarrow Craig, broch

Drumcarrow Craig, broch stands on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.

The wider landscape

Around Drumcarrow Craig, broch

Battle of PrestonpansBattle (1745) · ~24.6 miles