Scheduled MonumentsScotlandAllt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness
Iron Age · Broch,ord of caithness

Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness

Scotland
HES SM515
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Broch,ord of caithness
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Allt a'Bhurg is a broch of Iron Age date located in the Ord of Caithness in northern Scotland. This prehistoric circular stone tower represents the distinctive architectural tradition of broch construction found throughout Iron Age Scotland, typically dating to the last few centuries before the Common Era. The monument stands as evidence of the settlement patterns and defensive or communal structures built by Iron Age communities in the far north of Britain, contributing to the archaeological record of Caithness during this period.

Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM515. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness?

Allt a'Bhurg is a broch of Iron Age date located in the Ord of Caithness in northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM515.

What period does Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness date from?

Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch,ord of caithness. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness?

Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM515.

What other scheduled monuments are near Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St Ninian's Chapel 70m ESE of Naviedale Farm (4 km), Cnoc Bad Asgaraidh, chambered cairn 570m E of, Langwell (4 km), Brae-na-h-eaglaise, chapel and burial ground (4.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness

Allt a'Bhurg,broch,Ord of Caithness stands on Lower Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.