Scheduled MonumentsScotlandFloat Bay,fort SE of
Iron Age · Fort

Float Bay,fort SE of

Scotland
HES SM1986
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Float Bay is an Iron Age fort situated in Wigtownshire, south-western Scotland. The site occupies a commanding position above Float Bay, where the underlying bedrock consists of wacke from the Gala Group, a formation laid down during the Telychian period. This hard metamorphic stone would have provided a stable foundation for the fort's defensive structures.

The fort demonstrates the characteristic defensive architecture of Iron Age settlements in south-western Scotland. Its position on the coastal landscape reflects the strategic importance of controlling both land and maritime access during this period. The rocky geology of the site, combined with its elevated situation, afforded natural advantages for settlement and defence.

Float Bay fort is now protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1986, recognising its archaeological and historical significance. The site represents an important aspect of Iron Age settlement patterns in the south-west of Scotland, where coastal and near-coastal forts played a key role in regional political and economic organisation.

Float Bay,fort SE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1986. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Float Bay,fort SE of?

Float Bay is an Iron Age fort situated in Wigtownshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1986.

What period does Float Bay,fort SE of date from?

Float Bay,fort SE 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 Float Bay,fort SE of?

Float Bay,fort SE 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 SM1986.

What other scheduled monuments are near Float Bay,fort SE of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Craigencroy,cairn 270m SSE of West Ringuinea (0.5 km), Little Float,fort 630m SW of (0.8 km), Kirkmadrine, site of Kirkmadrine Church (2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Float Bay,fort SE of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Float Bay,fort SE 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 Float Bay,fort SE of

Float Bay,fort SE of stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.