© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Ward Law is a prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse situated in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The monument occupies ground underlain by sandstone, breccia and conglomerate of the Stewartry Group, bedrock formed during the Early Permian period. The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland.
The enclosure and roundhouse at Ward Law represent settlement activity from the Iron Age or Bronze Age, periods when such domestic complexes were established across lowland Scotland. The combination of protective earthworks with an adjacent dwelling structure reflects the typical settlement pattern of the time, with the enclosure serving both defensive and functional purposes for the community that occupied the site.
The Stewartry Group geology underlying Ward Law would have influenced both the settlement's construction and its suitability for habitation, with the varied stone types available locally for building materials and tool manufacture. The monument survives today as earthwork remains within the Dumfriesshire landscape and contributes to the archaeological record of prehistoric settlement in south-west Scotland.
Ward Law, prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse 360m WSW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13335. View the official record →
Ward Law is a prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse situated in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13335.
Ward Law, prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse 360m WSW of dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ward Law, prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse 360m WSW 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 SM13335.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ward Law, fort and Roman camp (0.4 km), Caerlaverock Castle and Old Castle,castles,courtyards and harbour (1.3 km), Isle Tower, 400m NNE of Bankend (2.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ward Law, prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse 360m WSW 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.
Ward Law, prehistoric enclosure and roundhouse 360m WSW of stands on Stewartry Group, bedrock that formed in the Early Permian. The rock here is sandstone, breccia and conglomerate.