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Lawhouses is an unenclosed settlement located in Fife, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The site lies on bedrock composed of Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks, specifically mafic lavas and tuffs formed during the Devonian period. This ancient volcanic foundation would have provided a naturally drained landscape suitable for settlement.
Unenclosed settlements of this type typically date to the Iron Age or Romano-British period, though some may be considerably earlier. They consist of clusters of roundhouses or other domestic structures arranged without defensive walls or ditches. At Lawhouses, the absence of enclosing works suggests a community that may have relied on social rather than physical means of demarcation and protection.
The volcanic geology of the site is characteristic of Fife's Midland Valley landscape, shaped by intense geological activity in the Palaeozoic era. This bedrock would have weathered to provide fertile soils capable of supporting both agriculture and stock-keeping, economic activities central to such settlements. The designation of Lawhouses as a scheduled monument recognises its importance in understanding the settlement patterns and domestic life of early Scottish communities.
Lawhouses, unenclosed settlement E of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7099. View the official record →
Lawhouses is an unenclosed settlement located in Fife, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7099.
Lawhouses, unenclosed settlement E 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 SM7099.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Leuchars Castle, enclosures 700m N of (3.8 km), Leuchars Castle, unenclosed settlement 320m NNE of (4.3 km), Leuchars Castle, settlement 200m and 400m W of and 240m WNW of (4.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lawhouses, unenclosed settlement E 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.
Lawhouses, unenclosed settlement E of stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.