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Spittal Fort, located 800 metres south of Spittal in East Lothian, is an Iron Age fort situated on geology formed during the Mississippian period. The bedrock beneath the site consists of unnamed extrusive rocks from the Dinantian age, comprising felsic lava and felsic tuff—volcanic material that has shaped the landscape of this part of East Lothian for over 320 million years. This hard volcanic foundation would have provided a naturally defensible platform for the fort's construction.
The fort's location on elevated volcanic bedrock reflects the strategic considerations of Iron Age settlement planners, who selected sites offering both natural strength and commanding views across the surrounding terrain. The exposed rocky outcrops typical of areas with this geology would have reduced the labour required to construct defensive earthworks and ramparts.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the scheduled monument reference SM4082, ensuring its preservation as an important record of Iron Age settlement and fortification practices in south-east Scotland. The fort represents a period when such enclosed settlements were central to regional power and community organization.
Spittal,fort 800m S of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4082. View the official record →
Spittal Fort, located 800 metres south of Spittal in East Lothian, is an Iron Age fort situated on geology formed during the Mississippian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4082.
Spittal,fort 800m S of 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.
Spittal,fort 800m S 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 SM4082.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Saltoun Home Farm,enclosure and pit alignments 200m NW of (7.3 km), East Mains,enclosure 500m WNW of (7.4 km), Wester Pencaitland,fort and enclosure (8.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Spittal,fort 800m S 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.
Spittal,fort 800m S of stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Dinantian, bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is felsic lava and felsic tuff.