EHG6039 - Trial trenching - Bruan Broch, Lybster

Trial trenches were excavated by ORCA in 2017 at the Broch of Bruan, near Lybster, Caithness, commissioned by the Caithness Broch Project (CBP). The broch is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SM529). The trial trenches were located in order to ground-truth a number of anomalies identified in a geophysical survey carried out by ORCA in August 2017 (see EHG6038). The nature and form of the features observed in all three trial trenches seem to concur with the strong archaeological signatures of the geophysical survey results. This indicated an area of buildings that may relate to an extramural settlement contemporary with the broch itself, although the date and exact nature of these structures remain to be proven with absolute certainty. It was proposed that further excavation over a more extensive area would clarify the nature, date and extent of the archaeological remains. Field-walking was planned over ploughed fields around the broch in early 2018, which could identify datable finds. Study of the available LiDAR data for the area, especially combined with ground-truthing visits to identified sites of interest would help to set the broch within its landscape. <1>