Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Little Duchrae,fort
Iron Age · Fort

Little Duchrae,fort

Scotland
HES SM1077
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Little Duchrae is a Iron Age fort located in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland. The site occupies bedrock of the Gala Group, a sequence of wacke formed during the Telychian period, which provides a firm foundation across the rolling landscape typical of this region. The fort is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland's designation SM1077.

Iron Age forts of this type represent a significant development in settlement hierarchy during the first millennium before the Common Era. These defended enclosures served as strongholds for local communities, offering protection and serving as focal points for authority and trade. Their strategic positioning within the landscape reflects careful assessment of local topography and sightlines.

Little Duchrae's specific position within Kirkcudbrightshire places it within a broader network of Iron Age defended sites across south-west Scotland. The solid geological foundation provided by the Gala Group wacke would have offered reliable ground conditions for the construction and maintenance of defensive earthworks. Today the site remains an important record of Iron Age settlement patterns and social organisation in the region.

Little Duchrae,fort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1077. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Little Duchrae,fort?

Little Duchrae is a Iron Age fort located in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1077.

What period does Little Duchrae,fort date from?

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

Who is responsible for protecting Little Duchrae,fort?

Little Duchrae,fort 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 SM1077.

What other scheduled monuments are near Little Duchrae,fort?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Boreland Mote,motte,Boreland Glen (3.4 km), Kirkland Mote,motte (3.4 km), Craig Hill,fort,Laurieston (4.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Little Duchrae,fort

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Little Duchrae,fort'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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Boreland Mote,motte,Boreland Glen
Medieval · Motte,boreland glen3.4 km
Kirkland Mote,motte
Medieval · Motte3.4 km
Craig Hill,fort,Laurieston
Iron Age · Fort,laurieston4.5 km
Little Merkland,fort
Iron Age · Fort5 km
Edgarton Mote,fort 690m SW of Camelon Bridge
Iron Age · Fort 690m sw of camelon bridge6.6 km
Kenmure Castle
7.4 km
Bargatton Farm,cairn 610m S of
Cairn7.5 km
Loch Mannoch,cairn & stone circle N end of
Bronze Age · Cairn & stone circle n end of8.1 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Little Duchrae,fort

Little Duchrae,fort stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.

All Scheduled Monuments