Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Borve Castle,Benbecula
Benbecula

Borve Castle,Benbecula

Scotland
HES SM5568
Site type
Benbecula
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Borve Castle is a ruined medieval fortification located on the island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The castle dates from the medieval period and stands as evidence of the complex feudal and clan-based power structures that characterised the Hebridean islands during the Middle Ages. The remains consist of stone foundations and walls that reflect typical island castle construction of the period, though the site has suffered considerable decay over the centuries. As a scheduled ancient monument under Historic Environment Scotland, Borve Castle represents an important archaeological resource for understanding the settlement patterns and defensive architecture of medieval Benbecula.

Borve Castle,Benbecula is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5568. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Borve Castle,Benbecula?

Borve Castle is a ruined medieval fortification located on the island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5568.

Who is responsible for protecting Borve Castle,Benbecula?

Borve Castle,Benbecula 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 SM5568.

What other scheduled monuments are near Borve Castle,Benbecula?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Teampull Bhuirgh,chapel and settlement 450m SW of Borve Castle (0.5 km), Dun Torcusay,dun 290m ESE of Garry-a-siar, Benbecula (2.8 km), Nunton,St Mary's Chapel (Cladh Mhuire),chapel,Benbecula (3.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Borve Castle,Benbecula

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Borve Castle,Benbecula'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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Teampull Bhuirgh,chapel and settlement 450m SW of Borve Castle
Medieval · Chapel and settlement 450m sw of borve castle0.5 km
Dun Torcusay,dun 290m ESE of Garry-a-siar, Benbecula
Iron Age · Dun 290m ese of garry-a-siar, benbecula2.8 km
Nunton,St Mary's Chapel (Cladh Mhuire),chapel,Benbecula
Medieval · St mary's chapel (cladh mhuire),chapel,benbecula3.3 km
Eilean Iain,dun,Loch Eilean Iain,Benbecula
Iron Age · Dun,loch eilean iain,benbecula3.3 km
Dun Buidhe,broch,Eochar
Iron Age · Broch,eochar4.2 km
Teampull and Tobar Chaluim Chille, church and well, Balivanich
Medieval · Church and well, balivanich4.3 km
Stiaraval, chambered cairn & shielings, Griminish, Benbecula
Neolithic · Chambered cairn & shielings, griminish, benbecula4.4 km
Dun na Buail'uachdraich,dun
Iron Age · Dun4.5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Borve Castle,Benbecula

Borve Castle,Benbecula stands on Lewisian Complex, bedrock that formed in the Proterozoic. The rock here is gneiss.

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