Tulloch Of Lybster
Broch (Iron Age)(Possible)
Site Name Tulloch Of Lybster
Classification Broch (Iron Age)(Possible)
Canmore ID 7842
Site Number ND06NW 20
NGR ND 0268 6947
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/7842
- Council Highland
- Parish Reay
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Caithness
- Former County Caithness
ND06NW 20 0268 6947
(ND 0268 6947) Tulloch of Lybster (Brough) (NR)
OS 6" map, Caithness, 2nd ed., (1907).
The 'Tulloch of Lyster' broch has been cleared out and a wide gap made through the wall on the SE and NW, but small portions of the inner and outer wall faces are still visible. Its internal diameter is about 32 1/2ft, and its wall thickness, 14 1/2ft. There are slight remains of secondary buildings against the outer wall towards the E. A rampart, stone-faced on the inner side, with a ditch, formerly encircled the broch at a distance of 23ft, and the remains are still visible on the S and SW.
RCAHMS 1911.
The grass-covered remains of this broch survive to a height of 1.4m, where traces of the inner and outer wall faces are visible. To the W of the broch there is a grass-covered bank, 0.8m high, from which protrudes a dry-stone wall, probably the remains of the broch outworks. There is a wide ditch, possibly contemporary with the broch, to the W and S of the broch outworks; it has been used as a dump for stones.
Resurveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (N K B) 28 October 1964.
(ND 0268 6947) Tulloch of Lybster (NAT) Broch (NR)
OS 6" map, (1969)
The broch, with outer rampart surviving on the W side, is generally as described above. The remains on the E side are unclear; what seems to be the remnants of the outer rampart survives 7.0m from the broch obscured by field clearance.
Visited by OS (J B) 10 September 1981.
The broch survives as a grass-covered mound about 20m by 1m high overall. Two outer ramparts with a medial ditch, are visible at a distance of 7m from the broch, and to the W is a sub-circular, grass-covered mound, 12 by 0.8m probably the remains of an outwork.
R J Mercer 1981.
The broch is visible on a RAF vertical air photograph (106G/Scot/UK133 4093, flown 30 June 1946).
Information from RCAHMS (DE), October 2004.
Publication Account (2007)
ND06 12 TULLOCH OF LYBSTER ND/0268 6947
Probable broch in Thurso, Caithness, which has been cleared out at some time, and a wide gap made in the wall on the south-east and north-west. Small parts of the inner face were visible in 1910 [2], giving an internal diameter of 9.91m (32ft 6in) and a wall thickness of some 4.42m (14ft 6in); the overall diameter would therefore be about 18.76m (61ft 6in). Traces of the outer face are also visible [1]. The broch is surrounded by a wide ditch and part of a surrounding wall beyond this is on the west; this wallface was not visible in 1981 [3].
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. ND 06 NW 20: 2. RCAHMS 1911a, 83, no. 346: 3. Mercer 1981, 140, no. 337.
E W MacKie 2007