MHG9956 - Broch, Gailiable
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- BROCH (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NC91NW 9 9487 1823.
(NC 9487 1823) Broch (NR). OS 6" map, (1964)
On E side of the Gylable Burn about 1/4 mile from the Helmsdale River is a ruinous broch, with only the base of the wall visible. There are no remains of outworks.
RCAHMS 1911.
The broch, situated on a low spur, has been severely robbed, and survives as a mound of bare stones, 2.0m high. The base footings of the outer face, and the inner face protrude intermittently through the tumble giving internal diameter of 8.5m and wall thickness of 4.4m. The entrance, choked with debris, is in the E, but no details can be seen. There are no outworks visible; a tumbled early modern wall extends from the NE and SSE sides of the broch.
Revised at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (J D) 2 June 1961 and (N K B) 7 April 1976.
NC91 5 GYLABLE BURN (‘Gailable’) NC/9487 1823
Probable broch in Kildonan, Suther-land, standing in a fairly open position on a low spur on the east side of the burn and about 0.25 miles from the river Helmsdale. There are the remains of a pre-Clearance township close by [3]. The structure is a badly ruined mound of stones 2m high and only the basal courses of the inner and outer faces can be intermittently traced; some of the blocks in the latter are very large. The entrance is on the east with the north (right) side of the passage partly preserved [4]. Just south (clockwise) of this is what appears to be the inner face of a gallery or cell in the wall. There are no outer defences.
Dimensions: the wallfaces suggest an internal diameter of 9.5m (31ft) and a wall thickness of 4.9m (16ft) [1]; Swanson gives the former as 7.8m east-west and 8.3mat right angles [4].
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. NC 91 NW 9: 2. RCAHMS 1911a, 106, no. 311: 3. A Haggarty in DES 1983: 4. Swanson (ms) 1985, 787. <1>
Sources/Archives (2)
- --- 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. . 106, No. 311.
- <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. NC91 5 GYLABLE BURN.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 9487 1823 (70m by 70m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC91NW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | KILDONAN |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/7088 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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