MHG9639 - Broch, The Borg, Strathhalladale
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- BROCH (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
The broch was Scheduled in 1938.
The Borg (NAT) Broch (NR) OS 6"map, (1963)
The remains of a broch situated on rocky knoll surrounded in part by marshy ground, wall surviving to an average height of 3.3m. Internally, broch is oval in plan, E wall, containing entrance, having been strengthened by addition of an extra 2.7m of walling, giving diameters of 9.6m N-S and 6.6m E-W. The wall measures 6.7m in thickness in E, 4m in S and 5m in W. In 1909 a guard chamber was visible, as well as a possibly secondary passage, 3m to 3.3m long and 0.6m wide leading to the inner wall 5.4m south of entrance. Miss Young notes "straight walling" possibly indicating a wall chamber 1.5m from the entrance. A large enclosure, probably secondary, is attached to NE arc of broch and other walls spring from S & W sides. Rectangular foundations measuring about 9m by 4m lie close to broch, one to the SW and the other to the SE.
RCAHMS 1911, visited 1909; A Young 1964; Visited by OS (W D J) 28 April 1960.
The broch is generally as described above. The interior appears to have been originally circular in plan, about 9.4m in diameter. Secondary use has altered this to the present oval plan, by enlarging the N side and extending the entrance into the broch interior. A rubble-filled depression on the N side of the entrance passage probably indicates the guard chamber. The passage to the south of the entrance was not seen; a recent shelter set in the wall is the only visible structural remains in this arc. A short stretch of wall facing to the north of the entrance, above the collapsed chamber and possibly forming part of it, could be the "straight walling" noted by A Young (1964). The'rectangular foundation' noted to SE of broch appears to be a fortuitous arrangement of tumble. A shallow ditch lies outside the SE arc of the broch.
Published survey (6") revised.
Visited by OS (J B) 9 June 1977.
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>
Field survey found the broch to be as described. <2>
The Scheduling was amended by Historic Environment Scotland in 2016. <3>
Sources/Archives (17)
- --- SHG10026 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale, field wall. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG10032 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale, Interior. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG10037 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale, Gen. view. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG10038 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale, Interior. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG10044 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale, Enclosure. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG11912 Image/Photograph(s): Broch - Strath Halladale.. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG2510 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Mercer, R. J. & Howell, J.M.. 1980. Archaeological field survey in northern Scotland, 1976-1979. University of Edinburgh. 30/01/1980. Paper and Digital. 103, DYK 4.
- --- 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. . 62, No. 186.
- --- SHG293 Text/Publication/Article: Young, A. 1964. 'Brochs and duns', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 95 1961-2, p.171-98. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 171-98. 185, No. 28.
- --- SHG4039 Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
- --- SHG9912 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG9918 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale, interior. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG9924 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale, S. side. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG9928 Image/Photograph(s): Broch, 'The Borg', Strath Halladale, Interior, '93. 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. NC85 2 FORSINAIN.
- <2> SHG24982 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: CFA Archaeology Ltd. 2008-2010. Beauly-Dounreay 275kV Overhead Transmission Line: Second Circuit Environmental Statement. Chapter 10: Cultural Heritage. CFA Archaeology Ltd. Digital.
- <3> SHG27174 Text/Designation Notification/Scheduled Monument: Historic Environment Scotland. 2016. Amendment to the Schedule of Monuments Feb 2016: SM1839: The Borg, broch, Strath Halladale. Historic Environment Scotland. 09/03/2016. Digital.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 8993 5095 (82m by 75m) (3 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC85SE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | FARR |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM1839 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6813 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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