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MHG10718 - Broch, Dun Chealamy

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(NC 7199 5140) Dun Chealamy (NAT) Broch (NR)

Dun Chealamy, heavily-robbed remains of a broch (RCAHMS 1911 and OS {JLD}) or dun (Young 1964), situated on end of a spur and so naturally defended on all sides except SW, which has an outwork consisting of double rampart with one (Young 1964) or two (OS {JLD}) ditches. Although site is mutilated sufficient remains of the wall faces to establish a width of between 3.7m and 4.3m, and an internal diameter of 7m. The masonry is poor and no entrance is visible. The ditches are 12m broad and 2m deep, and both ends of inner ditch have been built up with stone (Young 1964). The ditch contains footings of later structure, 12m by 4m.
RCAHMS 1911, visited 1909; A Young 1964; Visited by OS (JLD) 6 May 1960.

Dun Chealamy is broch with outworks as described by previous field investigator. Traces of a mural gallery are exposed in rubble of broch in SW arc. There are gaps between natural slopes & either end of outworks, one or both of which must be an entrance approach; there is no trace of stone revetting noted by Young (1964). Visited by OS (N K B) 17 January 1979.

NC75 4 DUN CHEALAMY ('Dun Kealmie')
NC/7199 5140
Probable broch in Farr, Sutherland, the heavily robbed (“Three years ago” (that is, in 1902 or 1903) “Dun Kealmie was badly damaged in a search of stones for building a bridge and a dwelling house.” (Mackay 1906, 132)) remains of which stand on the end of a spur. The site is thus naturally defended on all sides except the south-west where there is an outwork consisting of a double rampart with either one or two ditches associated with it [1]. Swanson describes two ditches [5, plan].
There are traces of both wallfaces of the circular building within this defence, and these indicate an internal diameter of 7.0m [1] or 9.0m (30ft) [2] or 6.8m from west-south-west to east-north-east [5], and a wall thickness of 3.7 to 4.3m [1] or 4.2m [2]. Traces of a gallery in the wall were noted in 1979 [1] and by 1985 a scarcement had been exposed in the west by stone clearance [5]. There are no signs of the entrance.
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. NC 75 SW 9: 2. RCAHMS 1911a, 60, no. 179: 3. Young 1962, 189: 4. Horsburgh 1867, 272: 5. Swanson (ms) 1985, 730-32 and plan. <1>

The site is included in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland online datasbase. See link below for site entry. <2>

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 7199 5139 (70m by 70m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC75SW
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish	FARR

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