Scheduled MonumentsScotlandFairholm, fort 430m NNE of
Iron Age · Fort

Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of

Scotland
HES SM2385
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Fairholm is a fort of Iron Age date situated in Dumfriesshire, south-western Scotland, standing some 430 metres north-north-east of the settlement from which it takes its name. The monument occupies ground underlain by wacke of the Hawick Group, sedimentary rocks of Wenlock age that form part of the Southern Uplands geological formation characteristic of this region.

The fort represents the defensive settlement patterns typical of Iron Age communities in south Scotland, when hillforts and fortified enclosures served as focal points for social organisation and control of local territories. The Dumfriesshire landscape provided numerous such defensible positions, with naturally elevated or strategically positioned sites offering advantages for surveillance and protection.

Fairholm is afforded statutory protection as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM2385, recognising its significance as an archaeological survival from Scotland's Iron Age. The site remains an important record of the settlement hierarchy and land-use patterns of pre-Roman Britain in the southern borderlands.

Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2385. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of?

Fairholm is a fort of Iron Age date situated in Dumfriesshire, south-western Scotland, standing some 430 metres north-north-east of the settlement from which it takes its name. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2385.

What period does Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of date from?

Fairholm, fort 430m NNE 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 Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of?

Fairholm, fort 430m NNE 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 SM2385.

What other scheduled monuments are near Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St Mungo's Church, church and graveyard (5.9 km), Range Castle, fort (6.6 km), Moss Castle, fort (6.7 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Fairholm, fort 430m NNE 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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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 Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of

Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.

The wider landscape

Around Fairholm, fort 430m NNE of

Battle of SarkBattle (1448) · ~15.2 miles