The Applecross Broch & Ridge
Posted by admin on February 10th, 2009 filed in Archaeology
SMR No. NG74SW0002
District: Ross and Cromarty;
Parish: Ross: Applecross
The Site
The Applecross broch is situated at the mains of Applecross on the highest and most southerly end of a glacial moraine running SE to NW. The site has commanding views over the surrounding fields and easiest ways onto the peninsular (land or sea).
The only visible remains were reported in 1968 by the Ordnance Survey as a
grass covered mound of stones, crossed by a field dyke, measuring about 18.5m in diameter with traces of walling visible here and there, and some large base stones on the southeast. Many of these stones show evidence of having been roughly squared. There are traces of a possible outwork across the ridge on the NW
(NMRS: site NG74SW 2)
Almost in the centre of the broch is an 11,000-volt electricity pole with it’s stay buried into the inner section of the east side. The site has recently started to be excavated in the form of two quadrants, one NE and the other SW. Although no layout is confirmed, wall lines are appearing in the correct places and the probable entrance to the structure appears to be sighted towards the East. Now, with the position of the outer walls starting to show, it gives a good indication of the probable layout. Around the site there are other anomalies under the surface which are believed to be Norse or older. There is a definite midden in front of what is thought to be the entrance. The midden was originally excavated 2005 by channel 4 Time Team and reported on by Wessex Archaeology (Ref: 59464.01 May 2006.)
The broch has a ground based gallery and causeway to the entrance, as Gurness broch in Orkney. (I. Amit.1988).
The site in the landscape.
(OS) Map: Sheet 24.
Easting: (1) 71183
Northing: (8)44331
The legal status of the site.
The broch site is not currently scheduled by Historic Scotland, but has the legal protection of the Highland Councils planning department under Scottish parliament guidelines NPPG5 Archaeology and Planning. (Ref: Scottish executive publications)
The date of the site & what this is based on.
Brochs, are thought to have been built, between 700 BC to 4th century AD during the Scottish Iron Age, although no one is in absolute agreement. No date has been given for the brochs original construction as there has not been any excavation to original occupation level, and it is unlikely than a more precise date can be given until a programme of radio carbon dating can be carried out. However some diagnostic pottery was uncovered, which was dated between the second century BC and the first century AD. (Time Team 2006 & fig3) The Applecross broch was able to reveal key characteristics that can be attributed to the Atlantic Iron Age architectural tradition, and to confirm that it belonged to the class of brochs rather than that of Duns or Wheelhouses (6.6.1 W A.Ref: 59464.01 May 2006).
The present ideas about the function of the site and what this is based on.
Brochs have long been regarded as defensive retreats from petty warfare and piracy thought to have plagued regions remote from the mainstream of the Celtic world. It is only in recent years that brochs and Duns have become widely recognised as houses.
( Armit 2005, 34-35.)
The shear size of the structure would act as a considerable deterrent from opportunistic raiding.
As farmhouses the livestock and stores are believed to have occupied the ground floor, with the living accommodation located on the upper floors. The causeway leading to the entrance would have made leading animals into the shelter, (especially in an emergency), an arduous task. The internal size of the broch, 9-10m in diameter, would be a tight squeeze for the amount of space available.
These houses would have taken a huge amount of resources to construct, so are likely to have been built by the most important members of the community for prestige. Their monumental size would have impressed any incomer to the area and confirm the superior status of the owner. The position of the Applecross broch would suggest that it was defensive to a degree, but maybe only as a last line of defence. This is also suggested by a possible causeway leading to the entrance as at Gurness. (Wessex Archaeology 2006, 6.4.4 & fig8).
As the position of the entrance seems to be inline with the rising sun (east south-east), it is possible that the Broch could have been used for ritual and religious purposes. As could the large amounts of bones found in the wall fill, but could equally be the remains of the builder’s lunch. (I Amit 1988, p63)
Post Iron Age use of the site is indicated by finds collected during excavations carried out by the Time Team. In trench 2, the nature of some of the slag found around the broch, indicates iron smelting and that the slag was tapped from the furnace. This technology would suggest a post Iron Age date. (6.4.5 Wessex Archaeology Report Ref: 59464.01 May 2006).
It seems probable that, over it’s hundreds of years of occupation the broch was used for all the above reasons and probably one’s that have yet to be discovered.
The Broch site and NW & E side of the ridge had a Geophysical survey done by GSB Prospection Ltd, in June 2005 for the Time Team. It gave detailed results in different display options including grey scale, Dot density and XY plot. The site survey grid was plotted and tied to the Ordnance Survey grid by Dr Henry Chapman using a Trimble real time differential GPS system.
The remaining area to the west of the broch could not be done because the dumping of rubble from the farm would make the results unreadable.
Arial photographs could be taken now a general layout is known although the expense & tree cover would make this almost prohibitive.
A ground survey was also carried out in 2005, but concluded the amount of modern dumped material (post c1700) would need removed before anything else could be done.
There is no local knowledge of the site, except it’s position. There are no descriptive written accounts of the structure.
How the site was found.
It is debatable whether the site was ever lost. The Rev J MacQueen was the first to identify the site, as a Dun in the Old Statistical Account of 1792 (vol. 3 page 378-9).
The site has always been known locally, but whether it was a castle, tower, fort or broch no one was sure. The field to the west is called Cul-an-Dun, which also gives a clue to the sites use.
The visit by OS in April 1968 said it was ‘almost certainly’ a broch and they subsequently added it to the OS map of the area.
From 1968 to 2005 several archaeologists visited the site and confirmed the OS description.
It was not until, Time Team’s dig, experts Ian Armit (The Queens University of Belfast), Andy Heald (Museum of Scotland) and Noel Fojet (Historic Scotland) eventually confirmed it was a broch and Wessex Archaeology formally recorded it in Report Ref: 59464.01 May 2006.
Armit I. 2005. Celtic Scotland. Historic Scotland. Pub. BT Batford, London
Pages 34 & 35
Armit I. 2003. Towers in the North. Pub. Tempus Publishing Ltd, Gloucestershire
Page 100, paragraph. 3 & page93 paragraph 2.
GSB Prospection Ltd, Geophysical Survey Report 2005/34. J gator & E Wood
1.1, 1.2, & fig 8.
Scottish Executive publications (web). NPPG5 Archaeology and Planning www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/1998/10/nppgs
Ritchie J N G. 1988. Brochs of Scotland. Pub. Shire Publications Ltd.
Page5 paragraph 2 & Page36 illustration 21.
Time Team Website.
www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/timeteam/2006_applx_found.html Footprint of the Broch Para. 3
Wessex Archaeology. Applecross Broch, Wester-Ross, Highlands. Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of the Results Ref: 59464.01 May 2006
6.6.1, 6.4.4, 6.4.5, fig5 & fig6 Available at the Applecross Heritage Centre.
Woods J. 2006. Applecross Mains Community Archaeology Project.
No: HAS060901.
Page 4 fig1, page5 paragraph 7, & page14 fig 4.
As an aside, is there much work going on at the moment in the Scottish public sector in terms of field archaeology? Ireland’s infra-structural works have dried up considerably since the second half of 2008.
Buildings of the Land, Scotland’s Farms 1750-2000. By RCAHMS. £30.00 29 Jan 2009 Hardback Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland.
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March 5th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
This is all very informative, well done to the administrator
February 24th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
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