Scheduled MonumentsScotlandDun Mor,fort
Iron Age · Fort

Dun Mor,fort

Scotland
HES SM4979
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Dun Mor is a Iron Age fort located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock formed from the Glenfinnan Group, a Neoproterozoic sequence of metamorphic rocks comprising psammite and pelite, which provides a firm geological foundation typical of the Scottish Highlands. The fort represents a significant settlement from the Iron Age period, when such defensive structures served as centres of power and protection across northern Britain.

The site benefits from statutory protection as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland's reference SM4979, recognising its archaeological importance and historical value. This designation ensures the preservation of the fort's structural remains and the archaeological context surrounding it. The Glenfinnan Group bedrock, whilst metamorphosed by ancient geological processes, has weathered over millennia and would have presented both challenges and opportunities to Iron Age builders who fortified this location.

Dun Mor contributes to understanding Iron Age settlement patterns in the Highlands, where such forts typically commanded strategic positions within their landscape. The monument's survival into the modern period, protected within the Scottish historic environment record, enables continued study of Iron Age society and defensive architecture in this region.

Dun Mor,fort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4979. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Dun Mor,fort?

Dun Mor is a Iron Age fort located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4979.

What period does Dun Mor,fort date from?

Dun Mor,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.

Who is responsible for protecting Dun Mor,fort?

Dun Mor,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 SM4979.

What other scheduled monuments are near Dun Mor,fort?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Urchany, barrow 595m SW of (1.5 km), Dun Garbhlaich,fort,Kilmorack (1.7 km), Dun a Chliabhain,fort (2.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Dun Mor,fort

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dun Mor,fort'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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Dun Mor,fort report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Dun Mor,fort

Dun Mor,fort stands on Glenfinnan Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and pelite.