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Hencastle Rig is a Iron Age fort situated 140 metres north-west of Old Craighouse in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The monument occupies ground underlain by wacke bedrock of the Hawick Group, formed during the Wenlock epoch, which outcrops across much of the Southern Uplands in this region. This geology shaped the local landscape that the fort's builders would have navigated and utilised.
Iron Age fortified settlements of this type, typically constructed between the eighth and first centuries BC, served as defended settlements for communities in what is now south-west Scotland. Hencastle Rig's position reflects the strategic placement of such sites, usually on elevated or naturally defensible terrain. The fort is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3362, recognising its importance as evidence of Iron Age settlement patterns and land use in Dumfriesshire.
The monument survives within the upland terrain of the Southern Uplands, a landscape that has remained relatively unchanged in character since Iron Age times. Such forts contribute significantly to understanding the settlement hierarchy and social organisation of Iron Age communities in south-west Scotland.
Hencastle Rig,fort 140m NW of Old Craighouse is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3362. View the official record →
Hencastle Rig is a Iron Age fort situated 140 metres north-west of Old Craighouse in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3362.
Hencastle Rig,fort 140m NW of Old Craighouse dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort 140m nw of old craighouse. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hencastle Rig,fort 140m NW of Old Craighouse 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 SM3362.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Raggiewhate, enclosure 210m ESE of (3.4 km), Seven Brethren, stone circle, Whiteholme Rig (4 km), Minsca, settlement 295m WNW of (5.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Hencastle Rig,fort 140m NW of Old Craighouse'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.
Hencastle Rig,fort 140m NW of Old Craighouse stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.