Description

The monument comprises the remains of a broch of Iron Age date and an extensive area of cultivation remains of post-medieval date. The broch itself was scheduled in 1939 (under the name Usshilly Tulloch, which is still remembered locally), but this re-scheduling extends the protected area to take in a large area around the broch.

The broch survives as a low mound of stone, set on the outside edge of a natural terrace on the hillside. It is about 20m across and stands over 2m high. On the NW side some continuous walling of the outer face is visible, but elsewhere single earthfast stones indicate the perimeter. The interior is slightly hollowed. At the N and S, the broch mound appears to have been extended by more recent walling, and it is likely that the mound has been quarried to provide material for the various drystone walls in the area. Around the broch is an extensive area of particularly well-preserved rig-and-furrow cultivation traces, apparently showing at least two phases of rig creation. The rigs are elongated and almost parallel, curving gently, as is typical of plough rig (as opposed to spade-dug) rig, and run obliquely downslope. The rigs display lynchets (accumulations of soil at their lower side) in places, and are bounded on the W by a tumbled drystone wall (which is probably earlier than the most recent cultivation episode), and on the E by a boggy area, within which stands a probable Bronze Age burnt mound.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, and measures a maximum of 450m N-S by 275m E-W. It extends to just beyond the edge of the obvious cultivation remains, to include the traces of walling which partially bound them and a small area of the boggy ground to the E. The area is marked in red on the accompanying map. Excluded from scheduling is the water supply pipe which runs underground through the NE part of the area, and a strip of land 1m wide above it to allow for maintenance.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland