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Cairn of Humster is a Iron Age broch located in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a conglomerate and sandstone formation dating to the Middle Devonian period that underlies much of this region. This substantial geology would have required Iron Age builders to quarry and work the available stone carefully when constructing the distinctive circular defensive tower that characterises broch architecture.
Brochs are among Scotland's most recognisable prehistoric monuments, featuring hollow-walled stone towers typically between 12 and 15 metres in diameter. Built during the Iron Age, they functioned as fortified residences and storage structures for communities in northern and western Scotland. The thick, inward-leaning walls of a broch created an impressive defensive structure that could accommodate multiple internal levels.
Cairn of Humster is now protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM533. The broch remains an important survival within Caithness, a county with particular concentrations of these Iron Age towers. The monument contributes significantly to our understanding of Iron Age settlement patterns and defensive architecture in Scotland's far north during the first centuries BC and AD.
Cairn of Humster, broch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM533. View the official record →
Cairn of Humster is a Iron Age broch located in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM533.
Cairn of Humster, broch dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cairn of Humster, broch 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 SM533.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ulbster School, broch 125m S of Schoolhouse (7.5 km), Watenan,broch 140m N of,Ulbster (7.8 km), Watenan,fort 165m NW of,Ulbster (8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cairn of Humster, broch's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Cairn of Humster, broch stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.