 Torwoodlee broch, entrance | |
  Shown within Scottish Borders | |
| Location | Galashiels |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°38′13″N2°51′02″W / 55.63688°N 2.850537°W |
| Type | Broch |
| History | |
| Periods | Iron Age |
Torwoodlee Broch is the remains of an iron-age broch located near the town of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.
Torwoodlee Broch (grid reference NT46553847 ) is situated on the site of an earlier hillfort on the shoulder of a ridge. [1] The hillfort is an irregular oval in shape, measuring about 137 metres by 136 metres. [1] The broch itself lies on the southwest side of the fort and partly on top of the defences. The diameter of the broch is 23.2 metres and the outer wall is 5.2 metres thick. [1] The central court has a diameter of about 12 metres. [1]
The broch lies about two miles south of Bow Castle Broch. [1]
The broch was first cleared out by James Curle in 1891 at which time much Roman pottery and glass, together with a 1st-century AD coin were found inside it. [1]
It was systematically excavated in 1950 by Stuart Piggott. [1] More Roman pottery and glass was found beneath the wall of the broch. [1] The broch appears to have been built soon after the Romans withdrew from Scotland in about 100 AD, and was thrown down again shortly afterwards, perhaps by a Roman expedition preparing for the reoccupation of 140 AD. [1] The many fragments of Roman material found in the broch might be explained as loot from the nearby legionary fort at Newstead ( Trimontium ). [1]
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.
Trimontium was a Roman fort complex in Scotland. It is located at Newstead, near Melrose, in the Scottish Borders, in view of the three Eildon Hills which probably gave its name.
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Cecily Margaret Guido,, also known as Peggy Piggott, was an English archaeologist, prehistorian, and finds specialist. Her career in British archaeology spanned sixty years, and she is recognised for her field methods, her field-leading research into prehistoric settlements, burial traditions, and artefact studies, as well as her high-quality and rapid publication, contributing more than 50 articles and books to her field between the 1930s and 1990s.
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Media related to Torwoodlee Broch at Wikimedia Commons