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

  Legal Documents for The Hillock,broch (SM1448)

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600001336)

Summary

Description

The monument is the remains of a large broch mound and its outworks dating probably to the Iron Age (between around 600 BC and AD 400). It survives as an elongated turf-covered mound with earthworks to its immediate N and S and buried remains to its N and W. The broch is located at the mouth of The Ouse, on the W shore of the Bay of Firth in Mainland Orkney. The monument was first scheduled in 1938, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The mound measures approximately 80m by 25m and stands to around 4m high, with parts of the internal broch structure visible on its summit. The mound has been truncated on its W side by the insertion of the A966 trunk road, on its E side by coastal erosion and on its S side by modern development. It has been investigated and recorded several times since 1927 when the roadworks took place. More recently, between 2004-2008, geophysical survey and archaeological evaluation was undertaken in the area to the W of the broch. This has confirmed the presence of complex archaeological remains in this area, which recall the wider settlement remains and outworks seen at other Orkney broch sites. The presence of an encircling ditch was revealed to the S of the broch and is likely to continue around the W and N sides. The broch was adapted as a defensive position during the Second World War and the remains of a concrete pillbox are visible on top of the mound.

The scheduled area comprises two irregular shapes to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment  is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling excludes the above-ground remains of all modern boundary features 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. Despite some modern disturbance, this is an impressive and well-preserved example of a large broch mound and associated remains, which has the potential to reveal a complex development sequence. It offers considerable potential to study the origin, development and reuse of brochs and their relationships to other sites in the contemporary landscape. The monument's importance is enhanced by its association with the other brochs spaced regularly along the coastline of E and N Mainland in Orkney, and its association with the wider Iron Age landscape and settlement more generally. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the origins, development and reuse of brochs in Orkney. It would also impede our ability to understand the placing and function of brochs within the landscape and to reconstruct and understand the Iron Age landscape.

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.