Scheduled MonumentsScotlandSundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system
Iron Age · Fort, homestead, settlement and field system

Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system

Scotland
HES SM1704
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Fort, homestead, settlement and field system
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Sundhope Kipp is an Iron Age fort, homestead, settlement and field system located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. The monument sits upon bedrock of unnamed extrusive rocks dating from the Silurian to Devonian period, comprising mafic lava and mafic tuff formed during the Devonian. This volcanic geology would have influenced both the landscape and the resources available to Iron Age inhabitants, providing stone for construction and defence.

The settlement represents a complex of occupation and agricultural activity typical of Iron Age communities in the Scottish Borders. The fort element suggests a defended residential centre, whilst the associated homestead structures, field systems and wider settlement demonstrate the integration of domestic life, stock-raising and arable farming within a cohesive community landscape. Such multi-functional sites were characteristic of Iron Age settlement patterns across southern Scotland.

Sundhope Kipp is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM1704, recognising its archaeological significance as evidence of Iron Age social organisation, land use and settlement hierarchy in the Borders region. The survival of both structural and landscape elements at the site provides valuable information about how communities organised their living and working space during this period.

Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1704. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system?

Sundhope Kipp is an Iron Age fort, homestead, settlement and field system located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1704.

What period does Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system date from?

Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort, homestead, settlement and field system. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system?

Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system 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 SM1704.

What other scheduled monuments are near Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round cairn 420m north-east of Blindburn Bridge (6.1 km), Blackhall Hill,cairns (6.1 km), Dere Street,Roman road & earthworks,Tow Ford to Blackhall Hill (6.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system

Sundhope Kipp, fort, homestead, settlement and field system stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.