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Tamshiel Rig is an Iron Age fort, settlement and field system located in Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders. The monument occupies ground underlain by bedrock of the Inverclyde Group, a Carboniferous sequence of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that forms the local geology of this region. This solid foundation would have provided the inhabitants with stone for construction and tool-making, resources typical of Iron Age settlement in southern Scotland.
The site comprises multiple components reflecting its use as both a defended settlement and agricultural centre. The fort itself represents a significant investment in defensive architecture, whilst the associated settlement remains and field systems demonstrate the economic basis of the community. Such integrated monuments are characteristic of Iron Age societies in the Scottish Borders, where populations combined security with the cultivation and management of surrounding land.
Tamshiel Rig is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10605, recognising its importance for understanding Iron Age settlement patterns and land use in the Borders landscape. The combination of fortification, domestic occupation and organised field systems provides archaeological evidence for the complexity of Iron Age communities in this part of southern Scotland.
Tamshiel Rig, fort, settlement and field system is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10605. View the official record →
Tamshiel Rig is an Iron Age fort, settlement and field system located in Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10605.
Tamshiel Rig, fort, settlement and field system dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a fort, settlement and field system. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tamshiel Rig, fort, 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 SM10605.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Martinlee Sike, farmstead, field system and assart bank. (1.9 km), Martinlee Sike, enclosure bank, field system, cairns & old road (1.9 km), Martinlee Plantation, homestead SE of Martinlee Sike (2.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tamshiel Rig, fort, settlement and field system'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.
Tamshiel Rig, fort, settlement and field system stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.