Scheduled MonumentsScotlandFort, Meikle Wood Hill
Meikle wood hill

Fort, Meikle Wood Hill

Scotland
HES SM8367
Site type
Meikle wood hill
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Fort, Meikle Wood Hill is a univallate hillfort positioned on elevated ground in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-western Scotland. The monument occupies a strategic location where the underlying bedrock consists of Hawick Group wacke, a hard sedimentary stone that would have influenced both the fort's construction and its defensive capability. This geological foundation is typical of the Southern Uplands landscape in which the fort sits.

The fort is defined by a single defensive rampart enclosing the hilltop, a characteristic form of Iron Age fortification in south-western Scotland. Such univallate forts commonly date from the later pre-Roman Iron Age, though occupation may have extended into the Roman period. The choice of Meikle Wood Hill as a defensive position reflects the strategic value of elevated terrain in this region, offering visibility across surrounding valleys and routes.

The monument is now protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8367, recognising its archaeological and historical significance as evidence of Iron Age settlement and territorial organisation in Kirkcudbrightshire. The fort contributes to understanding of the broader pattern of hillforts distributed across south-western Scotland during this period.

Fort, Meikle Wood Hill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8367. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Fort, Meikle Wood Hill?

Fort, Meikle Wood Hill is a univallate hillfort positioned on elevated ground in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8367.

Who is responsible for protecting Fort, Meikle Wood Hill?

Fort, Meikle Wood Hill 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 SM8367.

What other scheduled monuments are near Fort, Meikle Wood Hill?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Threave Castle (0.6 km), Castle Earthworks,enclosure 500m SSW of Mains of Greenlaw (1.5 km), Glenlochar,Roman fort, annexe, road, camps & barrows 50m E of Montford (2.6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Fort, Meikle Wood Hill

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Fort, Meikle Wood Hill'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Fort, Meikle Wood Hill

Fort, Meikle Wood Hill stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.