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

  SM1461_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004209)

Summary

Description

The monument is the remains of a broch tower and associated settlement dating probably to the Iron Age (between about 600 BC and AD 400). The broch is no longer visible on the ground surface except as a rise in the field, but a range of significant archaeological deposits and features are expected to be preserved below ground. The site was partially excavated by George Petrie in the 1870s, which produced an exceptionally rich and unusual assemblage of finds. The plans and sections (drawn by Petrie and Dryden) show that the broch has an overall diameter of around 18m, with walls some 4.5m thick enclosing an internal area 9m in diameter. The broch was surrounded by an extensive and complex settlement comprising numerous small buildings of varying shape and size. Petrie excavated an area S of the broch, but the broch village was not fully excavated and the basal courses of the broch itself and some deposits in its interior are also likely to survive. The broch is located on the N side of Scapa Bay, at the head of Scapa Flow, and is around 10m above sea level. The monument was first scheduled in 1938, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan to include 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 a post-and-wire fence and stone dyke 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 and associated settlements. On the basis of the record of the 1870s excavations, and by analogy with more recent excavations of broch sites in Orkney, this monument is likely to retain its structural characteristics below ground to a marked degree and to preserve evidence of a complex development sequence. The Broch of Lingro and its associated settlement is second only to the Broch of Gurness in terms of scale and complexity and, although it is much less well-preserved than Gurness, there is considerable further potential for the presence of important deposits and features, artefacts and palaeoenvironmental evidence. The monument's importance is enhanced by its association with the wider landscape of Iron Age brochs around Scapa Flow and in Orkney generally. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand the dating, development, use and reuse of brochs and associated settlements, and the nature of Iron Age society, economy and social hierarchy, in Orkney and further afield.

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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.