MHG2306 - Broch, Gearsay Cairn
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- BROCH (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
ND25NE 2 2726 5819
Gearsay Cairn (NR) OS 1:10,000 map, (1975)
Broch, Gearsay: A grass-covered mound, probably a broch, is surmounted by a small modern cairn. Its extent is indefinite, its greatest height 6ft, and the E side has been considerably robbed.
RCAHMS 1911
Gearsay Cairn, a grass-covered mound measuring 20m N-S by 18m transversely, and 1.6m high, is situated on a low knoll. There are no indications that it was a broch. The slopes are littered with debris from the cairn which surmounted the mound.
Revised at 1:2500. Visited by OS (R D L) 23 April 1963
Gearsay Cairn is generally as described by previous field investigator. Robbing and cultivation have obscured line between the artificial mound and natural knoll on which it is sited. The mound is too indistinct for certain classification but it is probably remains of a broch.
Visited by OS (J B) 18 March 1982
Broch, 'Gearsay Cairn'. Dimensions: 57 x 47m. Subcircular mound 2.5m high truncated on the E side by ploughing. It possesses a 'mound on the mound' feature, the central mound measuring 18 x 15m.
R J Mercer, NMRS MS/828/19, 1995
ND25 8 GEARSAY CAIRN ND/2726 5819
Possible broch in Watten, Caithness, consisting of a grassy mound about 20-18m broad and 1.6m high; there are no signs of walling.
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. ND 25 NE 2: 2. RCAHMS 1911b, 131, no. 472. <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. . 131, No. 472.
- <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. ND25 8 GEARSAY CAIRN.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 2726 5819 (70m by 70m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND25NE |
| Civil Parish | WATTEN |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM549 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/8732 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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