MHG5278 - Dun Grugaig broch - Glen Beag, Glenelg
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (2)
- DUN (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
- BROCH (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
Site photographed by Christine Yuil, 10/2002. See Hlinks.
J Aikten : 22/1/04
Site visited and photographed by Mr & Mrs M McGuire, 7/10/03. The Highland Archaeology Challenge. See assoc. docs. File and CD for Photographic Record.
J Aikten: 22/1/03.
NG81NE 3 8515 1591.
(NG 8517 1589) Dune (NR) (Remains of) (Supposed Pictish Tower)
OS 6"map, Inverness, 2nd ed., (1902)
Dun Grugaig (or Caisteal Chonil {L Bogle 1895}) in Glenbeag is a galleried dun standing on a knoll on the brink of one side of a narrow steep-sided gorge. The all, 14' thick, still stands to a maximum height of 8' above a scarcement and forms the arc of a D-shaped enclosure 47' along the chord formed by the side of the gorge, by 38' transversely. Features include mural chambers, the scarcement (still discernible), and a blocked entrance passage with door checks and bar hole. (R W Feachem 1963) It was investigated by Bogle in 1895 (L Bogle 1895) and by Graham in 1949 (A Graham 1951)
L Bogle 1895; A Graham 1951; R W Feachem 1963.
As described and planned above. The maximum external height, on the SE, is about 4.0m.
Visited by OS (W D J) 3 October 1966.
A D-shaped semi-broch.
E W MacKie 1969.
Dun Grugaig (NR)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1971)
Graham's plan is incorrect (A Graham 1951), though Bogle's is a little more accurate. (L Bogle 1895) The main entrance is undoubtedly in the E at the easiest approach. The whole of its N side can be seen in the debris, including the door check. The S side is partially collapsed. The entrance shown by Graham and Bogle in the NNW is presumably the one referred to by Feachem (R W Feachem 1963) who quotes from Graham (A Graham 1951) when he mentions door check and bar hole. None of these features is now visible in what is certainly an aperture through the wall but filled with tumbled stones. It could be a second entrance, but the way in which it runs slightly obliquely through the wall suggests it may be secondary. In the interior is visible the inner face of a sub-circular structure c. 8.0m in diameter which is certainly secondary and may be of late date. Outside in the S and E are traces of what appear to be two outworks protecting the most vulnerable quadrant. Here are two natural terraces with their slopes studded with debris most likely from pillaged defensive walls of which two fragments survive in the outer terrace, and only one large slab from the outer face in the inner terrace. The name "Dun Grugaig" is known locally.
Visited by OS (A A) 27 June 1974.
This site was included in Mackie's 2007 'The Roundhouses, Brochs and Wheelhouses of Atlantic Scotland c.700 BC - AD 500: Architecture and material culture'. See link below to HES Canmore record which includes the chapter on this site. <1>
Sources/Archives (7)
- --- SHG1203 Text/Publication/Article: Graham, A. 1951. 'Notes on some brochs and forts visited in 1949', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 83 1948-9, p.12-24. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 12-24. 19-22; fig. 4, pl. VI (2-5).
- --- SHG1205 Text/Publication/Article: Bogle, L. 1895. 'Notes on some prehistoric structures in Glenelg and Kintail', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 29 1894-5, p.180-90. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 180-90. 181-3; Fig. 3-5.
- --- SHG1680 Text/Publication/Article: MacKie, E W. 1969. 'The historical context of the origin of the brochs', Scot Archaeol Forum Vol. 1 1969, p.53-9. Scot Archaeol Forum. 53-9. 55.
- --- SHG1687 Text/Publication/Article: MacKie, E W. 1992. 'The iron age semibrochs of Atlantic Scotland: a case study in the problems of deductive reasoning', Archaeol J Vol. 148 1991, p.149-81. Archaeol J. 149-81. 162-6.
- --- SHG2187 Text/Publication/Volume: Feachem, R W. 1963. A Guide to Prehistoric Scotland. 1st. 181-2.
- --- SHG9618 Image/Photograph(s): Dun Grugaig, Glen Beag, Glenelg. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- <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. NG81 1 DUN GRUGAIG 2.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NG 8515 1591 (80m by 80m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NG81NE |
| Geographical Area | SKYE AND LOCHALSH |
| Civil Parish | GLENELG |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM914 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/11772 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
Comments and Feedback
Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.