Description

The monument is a broch dating probably to between 600 BC and AD 400. It survives as a steep, curving grass-grown stony mound which stands up to 3m high. Stone walling is exposed in places revealing the curvature of the broch tower. There are indications of an outer bank to the W of the mound, and on the N and E sides the uneven ground surface may indicate the presence of additional settlement remains. The southern edge of the mound is suffering from coastal erosion which has exposed a section revealing archaeological deposits and stone structures. The broch is situated on a rocky promontory on the S coast of Rousay, overlooking Eynhallow Sound. The monument was first scheduled in 1935, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present rescheduling rectifies this.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan and includes the remains described above and an area around it within which evidence relating to the monument's use and re-use is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of modern stone walls, post-and-wire fences and two boat nousts to allow for their maintenance.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of the past, in particular of Iron Age society in Orkney and the role and function of brochs in northern Britain. Significant remains of the lower broch structure and occupation deposits are likely to survive within the mound, and there is also potential for the survival of associated structures and settlement surrounding the broch to the N and E. The mound is still prominent in the landscape today and its significance is enhanced because it is one of a group of brochs along this stretch of the Rousay coastline, all of which overlook Eynhallow Sound and towards another string of brochs along the E coast of Orkney Mainland, including the Broch of Gurness. Together, these broch sites in close proximity have high potential to elucidate our understanding of the organisation of society and land-use in the Iron Age. The loss of this monument would impede our ability to understand the nature of Iron Age society, economy and social hierarchy, both in Orkney and across Scotland as a whole. It would also diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the relationship between these brochs and their landscape.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Other information

RCAHMS record the site as HY42NW 13.

References

Armit, I 2003, Towers of the North: The Brochs of Scotland, London, 18-9.

Ballin Smith, B (ed) 1994, Howe, four millennia of Orkney prehistory, Edinburgh, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph Series 9.

Ballin Smith, B 2005, 'Orcadian brochs - complex settlements with complex origins', in Turner, V E, Dockrill, S J, Nicholson, R A and Bond, J M (eds) 2005, Tall Stories?: 2 millennia of brochs, Lerwick, 66-77.

Hedges, J 1987, Bu, Gurness and the brochs of Orkney, Part III: The brochs of Orkney, Brit Archaeol Rep (BAR) British Series 165, Oxford, 81.

Mackie, E W 2002, The roundhouses, brochs and wheelhouses of Atlantic Scotland c. 700 BC - AD 500: architecture and material culture, Part 1: The Orkney and Shetland Isles. BAR British Series 342, Oxford, 244.

RCAHMS, 1946 The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Twelfth report with an inventory of the ancient monuments of Orkney and Shetland, 3v Edinburgh, 193, no 551.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland