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St John's Kirk is an Iron Age fort situated in Lanarkshire, Scotland, approximately 360 metres west-north-west of the Kirk itself. The fort occupies a commanding position on bedrock composed of mafic lava and tuff formations dating to the Devonian period, which would have provided a naturally defensible foundation for settlement. The underlying geology, part of the unnamed Extrusive Rocks sequence, creates distinctive terrain characteristic of this region of central Scotland.
The fort represents a type of settlement common in Iron Age Scotland, when communities constructed fortified enclosures for protection and as centres of authority. The volcanic bedrock supporting the site would have influenced its construction and defensive capabilities, whilst the local landscape afforded views across surrounding territory. Such positions were strategically chosen to control movement and resources in their vicinity.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the designation SM2634, reflecting its significance as an archaeological and historical asset. The fort contributes to understanding settlement patterns and defensive architecture during the Iron Age in Lanarkshire, a period when such fortified sites played a crucial role in the social and political organisation of Scottish communities.
St John's Kirk,fort 360m WNW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2634. View the official record →
St John's Kirk is an Iron Age fort situated in Lanarkshire, Scotland, approximately 360 metres west-north-west of the Kirk itself. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2634.
St John's Kirk,fort 360m WNW 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.
St John's Kirk,fort 360m WNW 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 SM2634.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Baitlaws,cairn 750m ENE of (5.8 km), Dungavel Hill,cairn (6.6 km), Broadhill End,cairn (6.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of St John's Kirk,fort 360m WNW 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.
St John's Kirk,fort 360m WNW of stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.