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The Law is an Iron Age fort located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. The site occupies a defensible hilltop position founded upon Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks, a geological foundation of mafic lava and tuff that provided both a naturally elevated stronghold and stone suitable for construction. This ancient bedrock, formed during the Devonian period, would have offered the fort's builders a commanding vantage point across the surrounding landscape whilst constraining the fort's footprint to the available summit area.
The fort is representative of Iron Age hillforts that dominated defensive architecture across Scotland during the later prehistoric period. Such fortifications typically comprised one or more concentric ramparts, often enhanced with timber palisading and stone walling, to create formidable barriers against assault. The Law's position within Roxburghshire, a region rich in prehistoric settlement evidence, reflects the strategic importance of controlling communication routes and territorial resources during this period.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the national monuments record reference SM1699, acknowledging its significance as a surviving Iron Age settlement. The fort's survival on the ground today provides archaeological evidence of prehistoric fortification practices and territorial organisation in the Borders region, contributing to our understanding of Iron Age communities in southeast Scotland.
The Law,fort is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1699. View the official record →
The Law is an Iron Age fort located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1699.
The Law,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.
The Law,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 SM1699.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stony Law, fort (4.4 km), Plenderleith, scooped settlement 300m SSW of (4.7 km), Heugh Law, fort (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The Law,fort'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.
The Law,fort stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.