MHG9582 - Carnachy broch
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- BROCH (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
(NC 7213 5269) Broch (NR) OS 6"map, (1962)
The remains of a broch on a cliff overlooking the river valley. A later structure, possibly a shelter, has been built into wall on west. RCAHMS 1911, visited 1909; Visited by OS (J L D) 6 May 1960.
Situated on the edge of a natural shelf is a broch measuring about 9.2m in diameter within wall 4.1m to 4.8m wide. The lower courses of inner and outer faces are visible to some extent, and there are traces of a mural gallery protruding through tumble in west arc.
The entrance was presumably in north, but no structural details are exposed. An outer defence surviving in scant traces of a wall, encircles the broch on all sides but the east where the steep slope provides a natural barrier. The broch is in line with the ruins of an early modern head dyke; the possible shelter noted by previous authorities cannot be located and may refer to the mural gallery.
Revised at 1:10,000. Visited by OS (N K B) 30 January 1979.
Photographs of the site were taken by Highland Council. <1>
NC75 3 DUN CARNACHAIDH ('Dun Carnachie')
NC/72l3 5269
Probable broch in Farr, Sutherland, standing on a cliff overlooking the river valley, at about 45m OD. It consists now of a mound of fallen stone but was described as a “Pictish tower” in 1867 [4, 272]. The inner wallface is visible and indicates an internal diameter of about 9.2 m; the wall is 4.1-4.8m thick [1], or 4.8-5.0m [4]. The lower courses of the inner and outer wallfaces are visible in places, the latter as a line of massive boulders [4]. There are traces of an intra-mural gallery on the west arc. No clear signs of an entrance are apparent although Swanson suggests that an earth-fast upright slab on the west, immediately south of the mural gallery mentioned, might be a door-check [4].
There are signs of what seems to be the outer face of an outer wall 6m from the broch on the north and 4m on the south-west [4, plan].
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. NC 75 SW 8: 2. RCAHMS 1911a, 60, no. 180: 3. Horsburgh 1867: 4. Swanson (ms) 1985, 724-26 and plan. <1>
Sources/Archives (10)
- --- SHG14841 Image/Photograph(s): Broch: Dun Carnachaidh. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG17821 Image/Photograph(s): Carnachy broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG17863 Image/Photograph(s): Carnachy broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG17864 Image/Photograph(s): Carnachy broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG17865 Image/Photograph(s): Carnachy broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG17866 Image/Photograph(s): Carnachy broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG17867 Image/Photograph(s): Carnachy broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG2657 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Second report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Sutherland. . 60, No. 180.
- <1> SHG17820 Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. Carnachy broch. Colour Slide. . Original & 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. NC75 3 DUN CARNACHAIDH.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 7213 5268 (70m by 70m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC75SW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | FARR |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM1850 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6362 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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