MHG12697 - Broch, Stone Lamp - Dun Torrisdale
Summary
The remains of this possible broch-mound are partly cut away by quarrying and collapse on the east side.
Type and Period (2)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
Dun Torrisdale (NR) OS 6"map, (1964)
The mutilated remains of a dun, Dun Thorasdal (Morrison 1882) or Dun Torrisdale (Information from George MacKay, Postmaster, Torrisdale), situated on a knoll immediately S of disused sandpit. The remains form a mound 15m diameter and 3m in maximum height on NE. Morrison notes the robbing of several underground chambers for building stone, and a stone lamp from the sandpit (Info from George Mackay) was donated to the NMAS by W J MacKay in 1955-6 (PSAS 1958) (Acc.No. AQ 120)
H Morrison 1882; 1883; Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1958.
A quarried stony mound, about 18m diameter, truncated on NE by a sand pit. The size, situation and quality of stone in the mound suggest that it may have been a broch.
Surveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (I S S) 14 July 1971.
No change. Visited by OS (J B) 15 September 1977.
NC66 4 TORRISDAIL ('Dun Thorsadal', ‘Dun Torrisdale’)
NC/6773 6185
Possible broch in Tongue, Sutherland, consisting of the wrecked remains of a building on a knoll of clay; the mound is 15min diameter and 3m in maximum height. Several “underground chambers” are reported to have been robbed for building stone [1] and a stone lamp from the nearby sandpit was given to the National Museum in Edinburgh in 1955 [4].
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. NC 66 SE 4: 2. Morrison 1883, 98: 3. RCAHMS 1911a, 184, no. 528: 4. Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 89 (1955-6), 459, no. 20. <1>
The lamp is described in the NMS catalogue as cup shaped, of steatite with the handle sawn through lengthwise and the wedge between hole and outer edge removed. <2>
A rapid coastal zone assessment survey was conducted by GUARD in the Autumn of 1997 commissioned by Historic Scotland from the Viking and Early Settlement Archaeological Research Project based at the University of Glasgow.
As described in the NMRS from various sources and site-visits by the OS in 1971 (ISS) and 1977 (JB). The remains of this possible broch-mound are partly cut away by quarrying and collapse on the east side. There are no definite structural features within the mound, or on it, although fragmentary traces of dry-stone walling are visible. A short stretch of such walling is visible to only one course at the SW side and this could represent part of the exterior broch wall-face. Adjacent to this at the S and 0.5 m lower down the mound is an eroded section within which possible glacial material is visible. This would suggest that the mound itself is natural with any man-made element occupying only the top. There are also three heavily-overgrown depressions on the top of the mound which may represent sub-terranean architectural features. Most of the damage to this site was due to human influences and, with adequate monitoring, no further damage should occur. <3>
NGR adjusted based on 2023 vertical aerial photographs. <4>
Sources/Archives (7)
- --- SHG2538 Text/Publication/Volume: Morrison, H. 1883. Tourist's guide to Sutherland and Caithness. 98.
- --- SHG556 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1958. ''Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 89 1955-6, p.458-66. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 458-66. 459, No. 20.
- --- SHG605 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1882. 'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library, and exhibits', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 16 1881-2, p.9-15, 37-40, 58-61, 144-56,176-80,236-41,401-18. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 9-15, 37-40, 58-61, 144-5. 177.
- <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. NC66 4 TORRISDAIL.
- <2> SHG28278 Dataset/Database File: National Museums Scotland. 2019. Highland Finds from the NMS Catalogue. National Museums Scotland. Digital. AQ 120.
- <3> SHG21099 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Brady, K. & Morris, C.D.. 1997. North Sutherland Survey: Coastal Zone Assessment Kyle of Durness to Torrisdale Bay. Glasgow University (GUARD). 30/01/1998. . p.261 Site 40.
- <4> SHG29455 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph/Vertical: Get Mapping. 2023. Getmapping aerial photography 2023. XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 6773 6186 (43m by 41m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC66SE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | TONGUE |
Finds (1)
- LAMP (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (1)
- https://trove.scot/place/5792 (View record on the HES Trove website)
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