Bridge Of Lyth, Hill Of Works

This broch, which is situated at the corner of a wood about ½ mile [ESE] of Barrock House, was excavated by the late Sir Francis Tress Barry in 1900, and a plan made at the time is here reproduced (RCAHMS 1911 fig. 1). It is entered from the WSW. by a passage 13' in length, 3' 4” wide at the exterior, and 3' 8" wide at the inner end; at 8' inwards on the left is a rebate 9” deep, and on the right another of 7” ending in a square-edged recess measuring 7” by 3" such as might contain the wooden jamb of a door. Within these door checks the passage is 4' wide. The interior diameter of the broch is some 29'. A break in the wall 10' to the left of the inner end of the entrance passage marks the entrance to a chamber and probably to the stair, now obscured by ruins and vegetation. In front of this, some 5' distant from the wall, is a well, now for the most part choked with debris, reached by steps some 2' 3” below the floor level. In line with the right side of the entrance passage a secondary wall projects for 7' into the interior from the wall or the main structure: at its distal end it is 2' 6” high and 2' broad. Portions of flags protrude here and there through the vegetation that now covers the interior. The wall at greatest height in the interior measures 4', but is for the most part broken down: on the exterior it has a height of about 2' 6”. Outside the broch, at an irregular distance of from 3' to 4', is a wall running concentrically around it for three quarters of its periphery, the remaining segment, as appears from the plan, being faced with a scarcement. From a point on the S. some 32' distant across the top of the wall from the inner end of the passage on the left, a wall has been exposed branching to the SE. About 26' distant from the outer face of the broch on the N. and 50' on the S. but obliterated on the W. a ditch has encircled the structure. On the N. this ditch is 45' in width and still some 10' in depth below the crests of scarp and counterscarp, but on the S. it is less well defined. The area between the ditch and the broch does not appear to have been explored. The plan shows an outer passage leading towards the entrance to the broch. A quantity of fragments of coarse hand-made pottery was found, indicating large and small vessels, which are now in the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh. Within the chamber, lying on the floor were found the remains of two skeletons.

RCAHMS 1911, visited 4 July 1910

OS 6” map (1907)

ND26 7 HILL OF WORKS ('Barrock Broch') ND/2903 6255

This probable solid-based broch in Bower, Caithness, stands on flat ground. It was excavated in 1900 by Sir F Tress Barry and the only available account of the work is that compiled by the Royal Commission. Barry's plan is reproduced here. A much more recent plan of the still visible remains was made by Swanson [5]. Some trees grow on the site but the broch is still well preserved [5].

The main entrance is on the west-south-west and is 3.97m (13ft) long, 1.02m (3ft 4in) wide at the outer end with a pair of door-checks 2.4m (8ft) from the exterior. From the plan these seem to have been built, rather than made from projecting slabs on edge; however the masonry in this area is now broken down [5]. The passage behind them is 1.2m (4ft) wide.

A mural cell was at 8 o'clock and may have contained the stair, though this is not marked on the plan; this is a common position for a broch stair. The remains of two skeletons (presumably human) were found on its floor. Swanson observed another break in the inner face at about 2 o'clock which she thought might be another doorway [5], even though the original plan does not show one.

A well with steps leading down into it was found in the floor in front of this cell and slightly clockwise from it and there are various flagstones on edge in the interior which might be secondary. A line of masonry continues the right side of the entrance into the interior for 2.1m (7ft). The maximum height of the wall at the time of excavation was 1.2m (4ft).

There seems to have been a concentric face of masonry around the outer face of the broch, forming in effect a long curved passage around the structure. Another long passage containing a sharp bend, presumably secondary, leads to the main entrance and also connects with the concentric passage. Yet another passage leads outward from the latter at about 2.30 o'clock; part of the concentric wall can still be traced, as can the lines of the approach passages [5]. An outer ditch can still be traced running two thirds of the way round the broch, 7.9m (26ft) from it on the north and 15.25m (50ft) on the west; it is obliterated elsewhere. No doubt there were outbuildings between the ditch and the broch but they do not seem to have been explored. A stony rampart lies beyond the ditch [5].

Dimensions: internal diameter 8.85m (29ft), external c. 16.47m (54ft), so the wall proportion is about 48%. Swanson gives the internal diameter as 8.6m [5].

Finds [3]: these include 4 sandstone whorls; 1 handled stone cup [3] and the basal half of 1 large pottery vessel similar to those found at Keiss North (ND36 5) [2].

Sources: 1. NMRS site no. ND 26 SE 2: 2. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 38 (1903-4), 252 (find): 3. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 43 (1908-9), 17 (finds): 4. RCAHMS 1911b, 1-2, no. 3 and fig. 1: 5. Swanson (ms) 596-99 and plan.

E W MacKie 2007