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Mainland, Brough of Deerness

Orkney Islands, Scotland · Atlas SC2840

Mainland, Brough of Deerness is a promontory fort in St Andrews And Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Other names on the record: Chapel On The Brough.

It is recorded as extant, with a partial univallate rampart form, surface evidence of stone wall, and an enclosed area of 0.94 hectares.

Banks or ramparts are the remains most likely to be visible.

The topographic record places it on a coastal promontory and at 25 m.

The aspect is recorded as level.

Recorded land use includes coastal grassland.

Dating evidence is recorded for 1200–800 BC, 800–400 BC, AD 50–400, AD 400–800, and after AD 800 (Artefactual and C14). Reliability is recorded as B - Medium.

A scheduled monument number is recorded (4654).

Location

Atlas number
SC2840 (2840)
Country
Scotland
Current county or unitary authority
Orkney Islands
Historic county
Orkney
Parish, community, or townland
St Andrews And Deerness
National Grid reference
HY 5955 0873
Latitude
58.96394
Longitude
-2.70503
Altitude
25 m

Form and condition

Type
promontory fort
Condition
Extant
Morphology
partial univallate
Complete rampart circuit
No
Number of ramparts
1
Ramparts by quadrant
NE 0, SE 0, SW 1, NW 0
Possible original entrances
1
Breaks through the ramparts
2
Enclosed area
0.94 ha
Enclosing works, as visible
stone wall
Enclosing works, excavated
earthen bank and stone wall
Entrance forms
Simple Gap (South west)

Landscape

Topographic position
coastal promontory
Aspect
level
Land use
coastal grassland
Water source
well or cistern

Dating

Dating
1200–800 BC, 800–400 BC, AD 50–400, AD 400–800, after AD 800, and undated
Dating evidence
Artefactual and C14
Dating reliability
B - Medium

Interior and investigation

Interior surface
rectangular stone structures
Finds
pottery, metal, human bones, animal bones, and lithics
Investigations
Other (1774); Earthwork Survey (1868); 1st Identified Map Depiction (1877); Excavation (1878); Earthwork Survey (1930); Other (1964); Other (1970); Other (1974); Excavation (1974); Excavation (1975); Excavation (1976); Earthwork Survey (1977); Other (1991

Identifiers

Scheduled monument number
4654
HER
Orkney Islands 2927
National record
record HY 50 NE 14; monument 2927
Wikidata
Q31052721

Sources

References

  1. Anderson, J (1881) Scotland in early Christian times: the Rhind lectures in archaeology, 1879. Edinburgh
  2. Barrett, J (2011) 'Brough of Deerness, Orkney (St Andrews and Deerness parish), excavation'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 12 (2011), 139-40
  3. Barrett and Slater, J and A (2008) 'Brough of Deerness, Orkney (St Andrews and Deerness parish), excavation'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 9 (2008), 134-5
  4. Dryden, H (1874) Ruined Churches in Orkney and Shetland, 1867-74, (re-published collection of newspaper articles from The Orcadian)
  5. Gerrard and Barrett, J and J (2009) 'Brough of Deerness, Orkney (St Andrews and Deerness parish), excavation and topographic survey'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 10 (2009), 138-9
  6. Lamb, R G (1973) 'Coastal settlements of the north'. Scot Archaeol Forum 5 (1973), 76-98
  7. Low, G (1879) A Tour through the Islands of Orkney and Schetland in 1774, in Anderson, J Kirkwall
  8. Macfarlane, W (1906-8) Geographical collections relating to Scotland. (Mitchell, A and Clark, J T eds) 3v. Edinburgh
  9. MacGibbon and Ross, D and T (1896-7) 'The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century'. 3v Edinburgh (i, 101-5)
  10. Moore, J (2006) 'Brough of Deerness, Orkney (St Andrews and Deerness parish), geophysical survey'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 7 (2006), 125
  11. Morris and Emery, C D and N (1986) 'The chapel and enclosure on the Brough of Deerness, Orkney: survey and excavations, 1975-1977'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 116 (1986), 301-74
  12. Saunders, M (2009) 'Brough of Deerness, Orkney (St Andrews and Deerness parish), topographic survey'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 10 (2009), 138
  13. Wallace, J (1700) An Account of the Islands of Orkney, London