Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM1472_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004220)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a broch with a subterranean chamber dating from the Iron Age (between about 600 BC and AD 400), and the remains of a probable early medieval chapel and enclosure.

The broch tower is about 18m in diameter, with walls approximately 4m thick and standing 2m high. Only the northern half of the broch is upstanding; the southern part was levelled during the construction of a public road in the 19th century. The broch is enclosed on its northern side by a substantial bank and ditch. Immediately S of the road, and lying within the broch foundations, is the entrance to a substantial subterranean chamber accessed by a stone-built stair. The ground to the S of the broch tower is uneven with some edge-set stones visible, indicating the possible presence of an extramural settlement around the broch. The recovery of a steatite bowl with runic inscription suggests there may be a Norse presence on the site. The probable chapel lies 70m S of the broch. It survives as the turf-covered footings of an oval building with an enclosing bank. The building is aligned E-W and measures 10m E-W by 5m transversely. It sits within a rectilinear enclosure approximately 30m E-W by 20m transversely, with walls 1m wide and 0.2m high. The broch and chapel are located on relatively level, unimproved ground N of the Loch of Stenness, at about 5m above sea level. The site has extensive views to the S out over the Loch of Stenness. The monument was first scheduled in 1938, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present rescheduling rectifies this.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan and includes the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction and use is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of all post-and-wire fences, gates and the top 300mm of the road surface where it crosses the monument, to allow for their maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of the past, in particular of Iron Age society in Orkney and the function, use and development of brochs. The monument also has the potential to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between brochs and early ecclesiastical sites, the character of early ecclesiastical sites in Orkney and the nature of early medieval worship and religious practice. The broch retains its structural characteristics to a marked degree and is likely to have a complex development sequence. The monument's importance is enhanced by its association with the wider landscape of Iron Age brochs and prehistoric settlement in Orkney. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand the development, use and reuse of brochs and the nature of Iron Age society, economy and social hierarchy in Orkney and further afield. It would also impede our understanding of early medieval ecclesiastical sites in Orkney and their role in the dissemination of Christianity.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.