MHG11391 - Broch, Portgower
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
ND01SW 5 0008 1279.
ND 002 130. A Pictish Tower stood to east of Midgarty, a settlement shown on Roy's map. W Roy 1747-55; NSA 1845. <1> <2>
ND 0008 1279. On a coastal spur with a steep slope on seaward side, is a low, turf covered, roughly circular mound circa 21.5m in diameter. Its surface is featureless and has been mutilated by probable quarrying. The site is asserted locally (information from J O F Mackay, Portgower, Helmsdale) to be that of a broch but this can only be proved by excavation.
Visited by OS (J B) 12 April 1976.
ND01 5 MIDGARTY ('Portgower') ND/0008 1279
Site of a broch in Loth, Sutherland, once described as a "Pictish tower"; it stood on a coastal spur with a steep slope on the seaward side, but there is nothing there now but a low turf-covered mound [1].
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. ND 01 SW 5: 2. RCAHMS 1911a, 164, no. <3>
There is an estate map in the Sutherland Estate Collections (digital versions available on the NLS website) surveyed by John Kirk in 1772 and included in a survey book of farms in Golspie and Loth parishes which shows a large circular feature labelled 'Cairnlea' exactly at this location. The feature appears to be shown as constructed with an thick wall. It is identical to that shown at Marrel on another of the estate maps in the same set some distance to the northeast (see MHG10137). <4>
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SHG2745 Text/Publication/Volume: Roy, W. 1747-55. Military Survey of Scotland. Sheet 37/1.
- <2> SHG2597 Text/Publication/Volume: NSA. 1845. The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy. Vol. 15, Sutherland, 200.
- <3> SHG26111 Text/Publication/Monograph: Mackie, E.. 2007. The Roundhouses, Brochs and Wheelhouses of Atlantic Scotland c.700 BC - AD 500: Architecture and material culture Part 2 (I & II) The Northern and Southern Mainland and the Western Islands. BAR British Series. 444. Paperback. ND01 5 MIDGARTY.
- <4> SHG29948 Image/Map: Kirk, J.. 1772. Survey of farms in Golspie and Loth parishes, Sutherland. Sutherland Estate. Original and Digital. Cuilgower; Wester Garty; Middle Garty.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 0007 1279 (70m by 70m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND01SW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | LOTH |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/7495 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
- https://maps.nls.uk/estates/golspie-loth/plan/2452 (View Estate Map on the NLS website)
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