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

Little Hill, fort

Scotland
HES SM12745
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Little Hill is a Iron Age fort located in Dumfriesshire, south-west Scotland. The monument occupies a defensible hilltop position underlain by wacke bedrock of the Riccarton Group, formed during the Wenlock period of the Silurian. This geological foundation would have provided a stable base for the construction and maintenance of ramparts characteristic of Iron Age hillforts in the region.

The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM12745. Dumfriesshire contains numerous examples of Iron Age fortifications, and Little Hill represents a significant archaeological record of settlement and territorial control during the pre-Roman Iron Age in southern Scotland.

The fort's defensive position on elevated ground reflects the strategic settlement patterns of Iron Age communities in the region, where hilltop locations offered visibility and control over surrounding territory. The Riccarton Group wacke would have weathered to provide suitable stone for construction and rampart building, resources utilised by Iron Age builders throughout the south-western uplands.

Little Hill, fort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12745. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Little Hill, fort?

Little Hill is a Iron Age fort located in Dumfriesshire, south-west Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12745.

What period does Little Hill, fort date from?

Little Hill, 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 Hill, fort?

Little Hill, 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 SM12745.

What other scheduled monuments are near Little Hill, fort?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cleuchfoot,farmstead 1500m NE of (4.5 km), Callisterhall,cairn 2550m NNE of (5.7 km), Greencleuch Cottage, settlement 1550m NNW of (6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Little Hill, fort

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Little Hill, 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

Cleuchfoot,farmstead 1500m NE of
Post-Medieval · Farmstead4.5 km
Callisterhall,cairn 2550m NNE of
Cairn5.7 km
Greencleuch Cottage, settlement 1550m NNW of
Settlement6 km
Bloch Farm,enclosure 600 m N of
Post-Medieval · Enclosure6.3 km
Old Irvine,settlement 600m NNW of
Settlement7.1 km
Callisterhall,cairn 1100m NE of
Cairn7.1 km
Broomholm,farmstead 400m E of
Post-Medieval · Farmstead7.4 km
Callisterhall,farmstead 400m NNE of
Post-Medieval · Farmstead7.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Little Hill, fort

Little Hill, fort stands on Riccarton Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.

The wider landscape

Around Little Hill, fort

Battle of Solway Moss 1542Battle (1542) · ~13 milesBattle of SarkBattle (1448) · ~13.7 miles
All Scheduled Monuments