MHG2107 - Broch, Borrowston Cottage
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- BROCH (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
Broch (NR) (remains of) OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)
A grass-covered mound, 114ft diameter and about 10ft high containing the remains of a broch. The upper portion, which is circular, 42ft diameter and 3ft high, probably indicates the position of main structure. At W end of the mound, and some 6ft above the natural level, there is a well-marked terrace in the form of a crescent, some 20ft in max width from the base of the more elevated portion. There are no signs of excavation.
RCAHMS 1911.
As described by RCAHMS. Slight mutilation on S side of broch has revealed some stonework, typical of broch structure.
Resurveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (R L) 18 April 1967.
The remains of this broch have been reduced to a large grass-grown mound situated at the edge of a cultivated field 240m S of Borrowston farmsteading (ND 3291 4381). The main body of the mound measures 35m in diameter by 2.5m in height, but what is probably the position of the broch is marked by a mound measuring 13.5m from NE to SW by 12m transversely and up to 1.2m in height, which rises from its flat top a little W of its centre. A small, probably modern, pit measuring 1m in diameter and 0.5m in depth, has been dug into the upper mound. What may be the remains of a building are situated immediately to the E of the upper mound, where there is a shallow depression about 8m in length. In a corresponding position immediately to the W of the broch the surface of the mound has been heavily disturbed.
(YARROWS04 688)
Visited by RCAHMS (JRS) 12 August 2004
ND34 1 BORROWSTON ND/3288 4353
Possible broch in Wick, Caithness, consisting of a grass-covered mound with several steps or tiers, 34.8m (114ft) in diameter and 3m (10ft) high overall. There are two clear tiers, the upper part presumably being the broch mound itself which rests on a flat-topped platform and which thus has a terrace round it [1, 2]. A more recent survey detected four, perhaps five, steps in the mound and cast doubt on whether any of these was a ruined broch [3].
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. ND 34 SW 8: 2. RCAHMS 1911b, 152, no. 510: 3. Mercer 1985, 105, no. WAR 232, fig. 65. <1>
Sources/Archives (2)
- --- SHG2664 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Third report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Caithness. . 152, No. 510.
- <1> SHG26111 Text/Publication/Monograph: Mackie, E.. 2007. The Roundhouses, Brochs and Wheelhouses of Atlantic Scotland c.700 BC - AD 500: Architecture and material culture Part 2 (I & II) The Northern and Southern Mainland and the Western Islands. BAR British Series. 444. Paperback. ND34 1 BORROWSTON.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 3288 4353 (70m by 70m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND34SW |
| Civil Parish | WICK |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM527 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/9090 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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