Tirefour Castle

Last updated

56°31′47″N5°28′09″W / 56.52965°N 5.469044°W / 56.52965; -5.469044

Contents

Tirefour Castle
Tirefour Broch 20100929.jpg
Tirefour Broch
Argyll and Bute UK location map.svg
Archaeological site icon (red).svg
Shown within Argyll and Bute
Alternative nameTirefour Broch
Location Lismore, Scotland
Coordinates 56°31′47″N5°28′09″W / 56.52965°N 5.469044°W / 56.52965; -5.469044
Type Broch
History
Periods Iron Age
Site notes
Public accessYes

Tirefour Castle, (or Tirefour Broch, also spelled Tirfuir and Tirrefour) is an Iron Age broch located 4 kilometres north of Achnacroish on the island of Lismore, Scotland.

Location

Tirefour Castle (grid reference NM86754290 ) is situated on a rocky height on the east coast of the island of Lismore. In clear weather Ben Nevis can be seen to the north, Ben Cruachan to the east and the Paps of Jura to the south. [1] There is a steep slope on the northwest side and on the southeast side. The latter slope turns into a rolling plateau that ends in a steep cliff. The broch can easily be approached from the northeast and the southwest. [2]

Dating

The broch was probably built in the late Iron Age. [1] [3] It was inhabited during the Roman era as shown by the discovery of an enamel brooch in the foundation layer. [4]

The broch was inhabited until the Middle Ages. [5] Among the finds in the broch was a decorative pin from the 8th century [4] and a Norse pin and rivets, dating from the 11th or 12th century. [4] Located near the broch are the remains of a rectangular building in the Norse style. [4]

Construction

Tirefour Castle has an almost circular floor plan. The lower floor has a solid, dry stone wall. [3] [6] This walls are 4.5 m thick. [2] [3] and the internal diameter is approximately 12.2 metres. [2] [7] The wall is on average 3 metres high and survives to a maximum height of 4.9 metres in the southeast corner. [2] [5] The entrance to the broch is located on the southwest side and is 1.4 metres wide. [2] There are no indications of an intramural room (guard cell) at the entrance. [7]

A supporting (scarcement) ledge is evident in the interior of the broch. [6] [8] It is located 2.5 metres above the original ground level. [7] The ledge is 60 centimetres wide [2] [3] and is intact for about three quarters of the inner circumference.

Intramural gallery Tirefour Broch 20100929 interior gallery.jpg
Intramural gallery

On the northwestern and eastern sides, at a height of 2.5 metres above the original ground level, intramural galleries can be seen. [3] [7] The gallery is 61 centimetres wide and 107 centimetres high. [8] On the west side the gallery is 7 metres long. [2] The ceiling of the gallery is formed by large, flat stones.

The interior of the broch is partly filled with earth to a height of at least 1 metre. [5] [8] In 2010, beneath the earth on the north side, a 1 metre wide opening was found, which probably gave access to an intramural room or staircase. [2] Surrounding the broch can be seen traces of two walls, which offered additional protection to the northeast and southwest sides. [3] In the southern wall is an opening which is aligned with the entrance to the broch. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broch</span> Type of Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure

In archaeology, a broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s.

Lismore is an island of some 2,351 hectares in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The climate is damp and mild, with over 166 centimetres (65 in) of rain recorded annually. This fertile, low-lying island was once a major centre of Celtic Christianity, with a 6th-century monastery associated with Saint Moluag, and later became the seat of the medieval Bishop of Argyll. There are numerous ruined structures, including a broch and two 13th-century castles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broch of Mousa</span> Tallest preserved example of an Iron Age broch or round tower

Broch of Mousa is a preserved Iron Age broch or round tower. It is on the island of Mousa in Shetland, Scotland. It is the tallest broch still standing and amongst the best-preserved prehistoric buildings in Europe. It is thought to have been constructed c. 300 BC, and is one of more than 500 brochs built in Scotland. The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edin's Hall Broch</span> 2nd-century broch near Duns in the Borders of Scotland

Edin's Hall Broch is a 2nd-century broch near Duns in the Borders of Scotland. It is one of very few brochs found in southern Scotland. It is roughly 28 metres in diameter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Carloway</span> Ruin and archaeological site in Scotland

Dun Carloway is a broch situated in the district of Carloway, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. It is a remarkably well preserved broch – on the east side parts of the old wall still reach to 9 metres tall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broch of Culswick</span>

The Broch of Culswick is an unexcavated coastal broch in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. It has good views all around, including Foula and Vaila isles, and Fitful Head and Fair Isle in the south. The broch stands on the top of a rock platform and is about 3 metres high at its tallest point. Much rubble has fallen into the centre. This broch has a massive triangular lintel stone over the entrance, which is partly filled with rubble. Drawings by Low in 1774 and Skene in 1805 reveal that the structure survived very well up to those dates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Coeffin</span> Ruined castle in Argyll, Scotland

Castle Coeffin is a ruin on the island of Lismore, an island in Loch Linnhe, in Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. It stands on a promontory on the north-west coast of the island, across Loch Linnhe from Glensanda, at grid reference NM853437.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broch of Gurness</span> Iron Age village on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village on the northeast coast of Mainland Orkney in Scotland overlooking Eynhallow Sound, about 15 miles north-west of Kirkwall. It once housed a substantial community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Telve</span>

Dun Telve is an iron-age broch located about four kilometres (2.5 mi) southeast of the village of Glenelg, Inverness-shire in the Highland Region of Scotland. It is one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Troddan</span>

Dun Troddan is an iron-age broch located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southeast of the village of Glenelg, Highland, in Scotland. It is one of the best-preserved brochs in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Mor Vaul</span>

Dun Mor Vaul is an iron-age broch located on the north coast of the island of Tiree, in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burra Ness Broch</span>

Burra Ness Broch is an iron-age broch located on the east coast of the island of Yell, Shetland, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ousdale Broch</span>

Ousdale Broch, also known as Ousdale Burn or Allt a’ Bhurg Broch, is an Iron Age broch located between the villages of Helmsdale and Berriedale in Caithness, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Ardtreck</span>

Dun Ardtreck is a D-shaped dun, or "semi-broch", located on the west coast of the island of Skye, in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Borrafiach</span>

Dun Borrafiach is an Iron Age broch located on the north coast of the island of Skye, in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Hallin</span>

Dun Hallin is an Iron Age broch located near the northwest coast of the island of Skye, in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coldoch Broch</span> Iron Age broch in Stirlingshire, Scotland

Coldoch Broch is an Iron Age broch located in Stirlingshire in central Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caisteal Grugaig</span> Iron Age broch in Scotland

Caisteal Grugaig is an Iron Age broch near the eastern end of Loch Alsh in the Scottish Highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Grugaig</span>

Dun Grugaig is a D-shaped dun, or "semi-broch", located about 7 kilometres southeast of the village of Glenelg, Highland, in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dun Bharabhat, Great Bernera</span>

Dun Bharabhat is an Iron Age galleried dun or "semi-broch" situated on the island of Great Bernera near Lewis in Scotland.

References

  1. 1 2 W. M. Ritchie, (2005) The island of Lismore p. 8. Lismore Kirk Session.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Historic Environment Scotland. "Lismore, Tirefour Castle (23082)". Canmore . Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 G. Ritchie & M. Harman (1996), Argyll and the Western Isles, p 134. Second Edition. HMSO. ISBN   0-11-495287-6
  4. 1 2 3 4 Information board at the location.
  5. 1 2 3 M. Coventry, (2006) The Castles of Scotland, p. 604. Fourth Edition, Birlinn Limited. ISBN   1-84158-449-5
  6. 1 2 J.N.G. Ritchie, (1998) Brochs of Scotland, p. 45. Shire Archaeology, ISBN   0-7478-0389-7
  7. 1 2 3 4 F. A. Walker, (2000) The Buildings of Scotland - Argyll and Bute, p. 368. Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0-300-09670-5
  8. 1 2 3 D. Christison, (1889) The duns and forts of Lorne, Nether Lochaber, and the neighbourhood p. 368-432. Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., 1888-89; vol. 23

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Tirefour Broch at Wikimedia Commons