MHG1719 - Broch - Cairn of Humster
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- BROCH (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
Cairn of Humster (NAT) Broch (NR) (remains) OS 6" map, (1970)
Broch, 'Cairn of Humster': A grassy mound 96ft diameter and 5ft high appears to cover site of a broch, though no structure is visible. Formerly ploughed over, it is now surmounted by a cairn of flat stones gathered off it. On W are signs of a surrounding ditch some 40ft wide.
RCAHMS 1911.
The site was Scheduled in 1939.
A grassy mound with a flattish top sloping down towards E. The mound, 1.9m in max height on SW side, now measures 36m NNW-SSE by 45m transversely, but it was proabably originally circular and about 36m in diameter, E end having been spread by ploughing. On W side of mound are traces of a ditch 13m in width, with counterscarp 1m maximum height. On top of the mound is a small modern cairn. No traces of broch structure were seen.
Revised at 1:2500. Visited by OS (W D J) 21 April 1963.
The remains of a broch, as described by the previous authorities. The slight rise of the centre of the mound may distinguish the actual broch structure from the assumed encircling secondary structures.
Visited by OS (J B) 1 September 1982.
The Scheduling was amended by Historic Environment Scotland in 2016. <1>
ND34 3 CAIRN OF HUMSTER ND/3529 4848
Possible broch in Wick, Caithness, consisting of a grassy mound 29.3m (96ft) in diameter and 1.5m (5ft) high in which no traces of a building are visible. The east end has been spread by ploughing [1]. There are traces of a surrounding ditch on the west, about 13m (43ft) wide.
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. ND 34 NE 3: 2. RCAHMS 1911b, 146, no. 506. <2>
Sources/Archives (3)
- --- 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. . 146, No. 506.
- <1> SHG27772 Text/Designation Notification/Scheduled Monument: Historic Environment Scotland. 2016. Amended entry in the Schedule of Monuments: SM533 Casirn of Hunster, broch. Historic Environment Scotland. Digital.
- <2> 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 3 CAIRN OF HUMSTER.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 3529 4848 (70m by 70m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND34NE |
| Civil Parish | WICK |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM533 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/9639 (View HES Canmore entry for this site)
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