© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Gogar Mains is a palisaded enclosure and field system located in Midlothian, Scotland, some 850 metres south-south-east of the main fort at the site. The monument dates to the Iron Age and comprises defensive earthworks and associated agricultural remains that testify to both settlement and land management during this period. The site sits upon bedrock of the Strathclyde Group, sedimentary rocks formed during the Visean epoch, which would have provided a stable foundation for the timber palisades and surface features.
The palisaded enclosure represents a form of defended settlement typical of Iron Age communities in central Scotland. Such fortifications, constructed from wooden posts set in close intervals, afforded protection to domestic and storage structures within. The preservation of the earthworks at Gogar Mains offers insight into the spatial organisation of Iron Age settlements and the scale of communal labour invested in their construction.
The field system associated with the enclosure demonstrates that the inhabitants managed the surrounding landscape for cultivation. These agricultural features, visible as field boundaries and clearance patterns, reveal the relationship between settlement and territory during the Iron Age. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4573, recognising its significance to understanding Iron Age society in the Lothian region.
Gogar Mains,fort,palisaded enclosure and field system 850m SSE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4573. View the official record →
Gogar Mains is a palisaded enclosure and field system located in Midlothian, Scotland, some 850 metres south-south-east of the main fort at the site. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4573.
Gogar Mains,fort,palisaded enclosure and field system 850m SSE of dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort,palisaded enclosure and field system. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Gogar Mains,fort,palisaded enclosure and field system 850m SSE 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 SM4573.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Union Canal, Fountainbridge to River Almond (2.4 km), Baberton Mains,enclosure 400m W of (3.6 km), Dalmahoy,cross slab,St Mary's Church (4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Gogar Mains,fort,palisaded enclosure and field system 850m SSE of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Gogar Mains,fort,palisaded enclosure and field system 850m SSE of stands on Strathclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, strathclyde group type.