Ha' Of Bowermadden
Broch (Iron Age)(Possible)
Site Name Ha' Of Bowermadden
Classification Broch (Iron Age)(Possible)
Canmore ID 8856
Site Number ND26SW 7
NGR ND 2398 6369
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/8856
- Council Highland
- Parish Bower
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Caithness
- Former County Caithness
ND26SW 7 2398 6369.
(ND 2398 6369) Broch (NR) (site of)
OS 6" map, (1970)
This broch was trenched over by the farmer after it had been used as a quarry for many years. No plan of the structure could be made out. The central area was roughly estimated as about 30ft in diameter, and near the centre was a well with about a dozen steps leading down to it.
Since Mrs Young states that courtyard wells are uncommon in second phase brochs, it seems probable that this one belonged to the first phase, ie. 1st centuries BC and AD Implements, vessels and ornaments of stone, horn, bone, bronze and paste were recovered from the site; most of them are now in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS), donated by Joseph Anderson in 1871 (Accession nos GA 82-92). They include a 4th - 5th century AD bronze pin of open projecting head form (GA 91).
J Anderson 1873; NMAS 1892; RCAHMS 1911; A Young 1964; R B K Stevenson 1955
There is no trace of a broch in the area indicated.
Visited by OS (N K B) 1 November 1965
No change to the previous field report.
Two possible finds from the broch occur around the farm. The first is a sub-triangular or sub-oval stone bowl 0.35m across by 0.2m deep, with two opposing hollows in the exterior which appear to be hand holds. The other object is a stone mortar; the hole is 0.3m in diameter and the same in depth.
Visited by OS (J B) 6 May 1982
Broch (ND 2538 6290), Murza. Diameter: 48m. Circular grass-covered mound 2.5m high eroded by ploughing. Two facing stones are visible in the NW and NNW sectors.
R J Mercer, NMRS MS/828/19, 1995
Publication Account (2007)
ND26 4 HA' OF BOWERMADDEN (‘Bowermadden')
ND/2398 6369
Site of a probable broch in Bower, Caithness, which was trenched by the farmer sometime before 1870 after it had been used for many years as a stone quarry. Joseph Anderson obtained from the farmer a number of finds (below) but no plan could be made of the building. The internal diameter was estimated at about 9.15m (30ft) and there was a well in the middle with 12 or 14 steps down into it which the farmer filled up. There is now no trace of the broch.
Finds included the following.
Bronze: 1 cast ring-headed pin, 76mm (3in) long of 4th-5th century A.D. type, with an ornamented head [4, 144, figs. 6 & 7: 6, 291].
Bone: 1 small, single-piece, single-edged comb with 13 short teeth.
Stone: 1 oval, fire-blackened, sand-stone cup, 2 whorls; 1 sandstone disc 178mm (7in) in diameter with a 38mm (1.5in) hole in the middle, several round balls, 1 small mortar and several large vessels, one 91cm (3ft) deep.
Glass: part of a perforated triangular blue bead with spiral yellow inlay, an example of Guido's North Scottish spiral-decorated beads which, she supposes, started as copies of the 'Meare spiral' bead from south-west England an example of which was found at Leckie broch [6, 86 & 195]; it was originally illustrated as if complete [3, fig. 204] but only a third of a bead is in the National Museums.
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. ND 26 SW 7: 2. Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 9 (1870-2), 247 (finds): 3. Anderson 1890, 143-4: 4. RCAHMS 1911b, 6-7, no. 22: 5. Stevenson 1955, 291: 6. Guido 1978: 7. Young 1964, 174.
