Scheduled MonumentsScotlandGreen Craig,fort and homestead
Iron Age · Fort and homestead

Green Craig,fort and homestead

Scotland
HES SM2446
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort and homestead
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Green Craig is a Fife hillfort combining an Iron Age fort with an adjoining homestead. The site occupies a naturally defensive position on Devonian bedrock composed of mafic lava and tuff, volcanic material that provides the firm foundation and rocky outcrops characteristic of many Scottish hillforts of this period. The fort's construction exploited the underlying geology to create elevated defensive ramparts overlooking the surrounding landscape.

The monument consists of two distinct structural elements reflecting different functions within the Iron Age settlement. The fort portion provided communal defence and would have served as a refuge and gathering place, whilst the homestead area represents the residential and domestic focus of the community. This combination of fortified and domestic spaces suggests a settlement of some significance, where families and livestock could retreat behind defensive works during periods of threat.

Protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM2446, Green Craig remains an important example of Iron Age settlement organisation in Fife. The site's survival demonstrates how volcanic bedrock has helped preserve the structural remains of these ancient communities, allowing modern understanding of how people adapted their settlements to the natural geography and resources of the Scottish landscape.

Green Craig,fort and homestead is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2446. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Green Craig,fort and homestead?

Green Craig is a Fife hillfort combining an Iron Age fort with an adjoining homestead. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2446.

What period does Green Craig,fort and homestead date from?

Green Craig,fort and homestead dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort and homestead. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Green Craig,fort and homestead?

Green Craig,fort and homestead 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 SM2446.

What other scheduled monuments are near Green Craig,fort and homestead?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ayton Chapel, Dunbog (3.9 km), Lordscairnie Castle,4800m NW of Cupar (4.5 km), Collairnie Castle (4.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Green Craig,fort and homestead

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Green Craig,fort and homestead'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 Green Craig,fort and homestead

Green Craig,fort and homestead stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.