Scheduled Monument

Broch of Burland, broch 1135m SE of HillcrestSM2053

Status: Designated

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.

Summary

Date Added
31/05/1934
Last Date Amended
27/03/2012
Type
Prehistoric domestic and defensive: broch
Local Authority
Shetland Islands
Parish
Lerwick
NGR
HU 44570 36075
Coordinates
444570, 1136075

Description

The monument comprises a broch of Iron Age date, built probably between 500 BC and AD 200, and the remains of three large ramparts and ditches on its landward side. The broch is visible as a very large turf-covered mound on the NE side, but elsewhere the external stone wall stands exposed to a height of around 3m. The ramparts and ditches are mostly visible as earthworks, though stone facing is exposed in places. The monument lies about 30m above sea level, in a spectacular location on a narrow peninsula surrounded by cliffs. The monument was first scheduled in 1934 but the documentation does not meet modern standards: the present rescheduling rectifies this.

The broch has an overall diameter of 19.5m and survives to a maximum height of 3.5m. A tumble of stone debris occupies and obscures the interior, but it is clear that the wall is about 4.5m thick. Galleries are visible within the wall thickness high up on the E and W sides, and there is an entrance passage to the west, opening on to a narrow path passing immediately above the cliffs. About 3m into the passage, there is a door check on either side. Beyond, a narrow side passage leads south to a chamber. The entrance passage continues through two lines of later walling which abut the inner face of the broch wall. These are parts of secondary modification of the broch interior, now largely obscured by rubble, that reduced the central area to less than 5m in diameter. North of the broch, the three ramparts and ditches span almost the full 45m width of the promontory and, together, are 40m across from north to south. The outer ditch is 6.5m wide and to the south is a probable stone wall, 5.5m wide, with an opening at the centre 2.4m wide. To the south are two further pairings of ditch and wall, also both with a central gap. These defences enclose the seaward end of the promontory, an area measuring about 80m N-S by 50m transversely in total, with the broch sited in its NW corner.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, measuring 148m NNW-SSE by 67m transversely, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduled area extends to the mean high water mark to the east, south and west.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

The monument's cultural significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics

Although the broch has partially collapsed on the NE side, the surviving structure is in good condition and shows little sign of recent deterioration. It is very probable that substantial buried remains of the broch's lower courses, including walls and galleries, are preserved beneath the tumble overlying the structure. It is clear that the broch itself is the product of several phases of development. This is demonstrated by the stone structure in the broch interior, a secondary feature that itself shows two episodes of building. Researchers have commented on the excellent preservation of the entrance passage that was extended to pass through the secondary structures, making it unique in Shetland. The earthwork features nearby suggest further complexity, and there is potential that these defences were used before or after the primary occupation of the broch tower. Excavation in 1983 demonstrated that the buried archaeological deposits can enhance our understanding of the external defences. The small-scale excavation suggested that the outer two ramparts are constructed of dumped earth and rubble, with stone revetting. Further investigation of the buried remains may allow future researchers to date the construction of the broch and compare this with the dates of the rampart defences. In addition, the buried remains have considerable potential to enhance understanding of the use and function of brochs and the daily lives of the people who occupied them. There is very high potential for the recovery artefacts and ecofacts that may illuminate the diet, economy and social status of the occupants, and the extent to which this varied over time.

Contextual characteristics

This broch is one of around 130 known in Shetland. It has the potential to enhance our understanding of the relationship between brochs, the extent to which they were contemporary, and their relationship with the wider landscape. Brochs have been viewed as having a defensive or offensive function, or simply as being the prestige dwellings of an elite keen to display its status. The buried remains at Burland have high potential to help us address these questions and provide insight into the nature and use of these structures and the landscape immediately around them. There is also potential to compare the outer defences here to those of other brochs, such as at Aithsetter 6km to the south. Some researchers have suggested that the wall-face at the W end of the inner rampart invites comparison with block houses, such as that at Ness of Burgi.

Associative characteristics

The broch is depicted and labelled 'Brough of Burland' on the Ordnance Survey first edition map.

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 Shetland and the role and function of brochs. The monument offers considerable potential to study the relationship between the broch and three ramparts, and the broch itself shows a development sequence, the entrance passage extending through two phases of secondary internal structure in a manner unique in Shetland. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand the development and reuse of brochs in Shetland.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the site as HU43NW 5. The Shetland Amenity Trust SMR records the site as MSN664 (PrefRef 888).

References

Lamb, R G, 1980 Iron Age promontory forts in the Northern Isles, Brit Archaeol Rep, BAR British, vol.79. Oxford. 81

Mackie, E W 2002, The roundhouses, brochs and wheelhouses of Atlantic Scotland c.700BC-AD500: architecture and material culture, Part 1: The Orkney and Shetland Isles. BAR British Series 342: Oxford.

RCAHMS, 1946 The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Twelfth report with an inventory of the ancient monuments of Orkney and Shetland, 3v Edinburgh. 70-2.

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.

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Printed: 22/10/2025 20:02