Law, Dundee

The Law is an area located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. Its predominant feature is an extinct volcano which gives it its name.GeologyThe Dundee Law, which may take its name from the Gaelic word for mound or more likely, from Anglo-Saxon hlāw (modern Scots law) meaning a (grave-)mound, is the plug of an extinct volcano. Actions by subsequent ice movements further eroded the hill and deposited more debris around the base creating a crag and tail. The shallow gradient of the slopes on the north and eastern sides of the law suggest a north easterly movement of ice flows. The hill's summit is over 500 feet above sea level. Despite the derivation of "Law" suggesting it would be tautological to do so, the Law is commonly referred to as the "Law Hill", including by Dundee Council itself.HistoryArchaeological evidence of burials suggest that the law may have been used by human settlers 3500 years ago. During the Iron Age it was the site of a Pictish settlement. Roman pottery has been found on the law, suggesting that the Romans may have used it as a lookout post in the first century. The Law played host to an important event in 1689. On 13 April 1689 Viscount Dundee raised the Stuart Royal Standard on the Law, which marked the beginning of the first Jacobite rising.