Monument record MHG42433 - Road Broch

Summary

No summary available.

Location

Grid reference Centred ND 3487 6151 (14m by 14m) (Buffered by site type)
Map sheet ND36SW
Old County CAITHNESS
Civil Parish WICK
Geographical Area CAITHNESS

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

RCAHMS. 1911. Caithness. Edinburgh: HMSO, 156-7, No. 516.
Road or Kirk Tofts, Keiss, ND36SW0001

This broch, dug out in the late nineteenth century, appears much as it did when first excavated, although it is now rather overgrown. It consists of the broch tower lying at the centre of a maze of humps and bumps representing associated structures. (43)

Within the tower, a sense of the way in which the living space was organised can be seen in the arrangements of upright slabs dividing the floor into separate areas. The opening to an underground well or chamber close to the centre and a slab built tank can also be seen. (51)

(10.2m/13.8m/2m)
Armit, I., 1997. Celtic Scotland. Edinburgh: Batsford.
RCAHMS. 1911. Caithness. Edinburgh: HMSO, 157-8, No. 517.
Information from SCRAN Project, March, 2000

ND36SW 1 3488 6151.
Kirk Tofts (NAT) Broch (NR) OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)

The Road Broch is one of the best examples of a 1st phase broch (1st centuries BC and AD), although it was re-used during Broch II phase (2nd, 3rd centuries AD) and again during the post-broch era. It was built on a mesolithic kitchen midden.
The dimensions of original broch appear to have been 34ft internal diam, with walls only about 12ft thick.
The second phase of occupation involved external strengthening of walls, creation of a secondary entrance and blocking of original entrance, as at Keiss. During the third phase of occupation secondary entrance was blocked and original entrance re-opened again as at Keiss. The large circular court at the entrance, with accompanying outbuildings, internal slab compartments, and massive wall that surrounds complex, also belong to this period. Finds from broch include vessels and implements of bone and stone, querns (both saddle and rotary), ingot moulds and sherds, including a fragment of 2nd century Samian ware.
Anderson notes foundations of an oblong, rectangular building which he suggests could be church (ND36SW 2) which is said to have stood in the vicinity; but similar buildings are associated with Keiss broch (ND36SE 2) and Whitegate broch (ND36SE 3). The foundations lie between the circumavallation, the graveyard and the road, and since they overlie the wall of an outbuilding by some 4ft, appear to be of much later date. A Young 1964; RCAHMS 1911, visited 1910; J Anderson 1901; Name Book 1873; A D Lacaille 1954; S Laing 1866.

'Kirk Tofts' Broch, now overgrown, is generally as described above. There is no trace of the alleged church noted by Anderson and only SE arc of outer rampart is clearly discernible.
Resurveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (N K B) 6 September 1965.

Samian sherd now in NMAS. A S Robertson 1970.

NW entrance has a feature very rare in brochs, a stair running up from W side of passage, which recalls design of the dun at Forse. It is probable that this broch shows how an imported fort plan was modified by the pre-existing local traditions seen at Forse.
E W MacKie 1975.

A hipped bone pin and a slotted and pointed iron object from the site are datable to the period about 600 - 934 AD by comparison with finds from Lagore crannog, Co. Meath.
R B K Stevenson 1955; L R Laing 1975.

The second of the two finds (above) is presumably the 'harpoon of iron 1ft 8.5ins in length, the barb 1 5/8 by 1.75ins with a slot below it, from the surface rubbish over the mound on Keiss Broch'.
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1908.

Sources/Archives (23)

  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Anderson, J. 1901. 'Notices of nine Brochs along the Caithness coast from Keiss Bay to Skirza Head, excavated by Sir Francis Tress Barry, Bart., MP., of Keiss Castle, Caithness', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 35 1900-1, p.112-48. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 112-48. 131, 139; plan.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Stevenson, R B K. 1955. 'Pins and the chronology of brochs', Proc Prehist Soc Vol. 21 1955, p.282-94. Proc Prehist Soc. 282-94. 285.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Robertson, A S. 1970. 'Roman finds from non-Roman sites in Scotland', Britannia Vol. 1 1970, p.198-226. Britannia. 198-226. table 2.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council. 2000?. Keiss Roadside Broch. Colour Slide; Digital Image. . Original & digital.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Hartley, B R. 1972. 'The Roman occupations of Scotland: the evidence of samian ware', Britannia Vol. 3 1972, p.1-55. Britannia. 1-55. 55, No. 8.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Lacaille, A D. 1954. The Stone Age in Scotland. 266.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Laing, L R. 1975. The archaeology of late Celtic Britain and Ireland c. 400-1200 AD. 162.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Laing, S. 1866. Pre-historic remains of Caithness. 20-2.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: MacKie, E W. 1975. Scotland: an archaeological guide: from the earliest times to the twelfth century. 228.
  • --- Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Third report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Caithness. . 157-8, No. 517; plan.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Young, A. 1964. 'Brochs and duns', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 95 1961-2, p.171-98. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 171-98. 181-2, No. 16.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1909. 'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library, with exhibits', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 43 1908-9, p.8-23, 73-5, 145-6, 176-9, 268-71, 291-5. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 8-23, 73-5, 145-6, 176-9,. 19.

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Record last edited

Jun 19 2014 10:06AM

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