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Thrumster is a settlement beside the Burn of Swartigill in Caithness, northern Scotland. The site occupies ground underlain by Middle Old Red Sandstone bedrock of Middle Devonian age, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This geological foundation is typical of the Caithness landscape, where such sedimentary rocks weather to support rough grazing and moorland. The settlement's location beside a flowing burn would have provided essential access to fresh water, a critical consideration for early settlement placement in this sparsely populated region. The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland and is recorded under reference SM10105. Such settlements in Caithness represent important evidence of historical occupation and subsistence patterns in the far north of mainland Scotland, though the specific date and extent of occupation at Thrumster remain to be fully determined by archaeological investigation.
Thrumster, settlement beside Burn of Swartigill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10105. View the official record →
Thrumster is a settlement beside the Burn of Swartigill in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10105.
Thrumster, settlement beside Burn of Swartigill 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 SM10105.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn of Get, chambered cairn, cairns and cists (4.4 km), Broughwhin, cairn and stone row 190m NW of Groat's Loch (4.6 km), Cairn Hanach,chambered cairn S side of Warehouse Hill (4.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Thrumster, settlement beside Burn of Swartigill'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.
Thrumster, settlement beside Burn of Swartigill stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.