Archaeology Notes

Event ID 655300

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/655300

ND35NW 4 3385 5831

(ND 3385 5831) Castle Linglas (NAT)

Broch (NR) (remains of) (NAT)

Long Cists found (NAT)

OS 1:10,000 map, (1974)

Wester Broch or Castle Linglas is the southern of the two sandhills known locally as the Birkle Hill, and excavated by Sir Francis Tress Barry. The walls of the broch is 13ft thick and encloses an area 27ft in diameter. At 30 to 40ft from the exterior are the remains of an enclosing wall between which and the broch, on the landward side, are the foundations of eight or nine small cells or buildings. The following finds were donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS) in 1908: Three rounded quartzite painted pebbles; various bone implements; stone discs; whorls; pebbles and implements; horn handles. Also found but seemingly not donated were an upper quern stone, a saddle quern, and fragments of very coarse pottery.

Over the top of the wall of the broch, and in the sand which covered it, were four extended burials in cists. The bones of a child were found in one of the outbuildings.

J Anderson 1901; Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1909; RCAHMS 1911.

The remains of this broch are situated in sand dunes which have encroached on all sides except the W, the broch lying at the foot of the dunes. Little of it is visible, but the internal diamter of the broch appears to have been 8.8m. Traces of the outer face of the wall are visible on only the W segment, giving the broch an overall diameter of 18.0m. Where exposed, the inner and outer faces of the wall have maximum heights of 0.5 and 0.3m respectively. The level of the interior is 1.2m maximum depth below the crest of the broch, but is mainly silted up as is the entrance, which has been on the W side. There is no trace of the outer wall, buildings or cists, which have presumably been covered by the drifting sound.

Revised at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (R D L) 23 April 1963.

Mostly sand-covered rubble, nothing being clearly visible except the outline of a curving wall. The area in the immediate vicinity has been excavated by Kestrel Marine.

C E Batey 1981.

The remains of Castle Linglas broch are as described by the previous field investigator.

Visited by OS (N K B) 2 September 1982.

Photographs in Inverness Museum Skull no.1 Found in Wester Broch, 1890 N/N 977.P79.22 Skull no.1 South Birkle Hill, 1890,Wester Broch N/N 977.P79.23

(Undated) information in NMRS.

ND 3385 5831 Damage caused by a digger running over this scheduled monument was repaired. No significant damage is considered to have occurred to the monument.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

J Wordsworth 1997