Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC257 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM90223) Taken into State care: 1885 (Guardianship) Last reviewed: 2015 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE MOUSA, BROCH We continually revise our Statements of Significance, so they may vary in length, format and level of detail. While every effort is made to keep them up to date, they should not be considered a definitive or final assessment of our properties. Historic Environment Scotland Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH
MOUSA BROCH SPA/RSPB Reserve SYNOPSIS Mousa Broch is situated on the SW side of the uninhabited island of Mousa, across Mousa Sound from Sandwick, on Mainland. It is by far the best preserved broch in Scotland, all but complete to its wall-head, and one of the supreme examples of drystone building techniques surviving from prehistoric Europe. The broch stands to a height of over 13m. Its diameter (c. 5.5m) is a little smaller than most brochs, whilst its encircling wall is proportionately thicker (c. 5.5m). The narrow entrance passage leads into an interior cluttered by stonework of later subdivisions (a wheelhouse was built inside, as was the case at both Clickhimin Broch and Jarlshof), although the water tank cut into the bedrock is presumed to be original. The broch s solid base contains three oval cells, but above a height of 3m the wall is hollow, containing six superimposed galleries and a narrow stone stair leading to the wall-head. Mousa Broch has never been excavated but is thought to date from c. AD 100. Like many brochs it remained in use through the 1 st Millennium AD, but exceptionally it is mentioned twice in Viking sagas in c. 900 and 1153; on the latter occasion it was serving as the hideaway residence of Erland, who held Earl Harold Maddadson s mother Margaret captive there. Mousa Broch was taken into State care in 1885, one of the first Ancient Monuments to be afforded such protection since the passing of the first Ancient Monuments Act in 1882. The island of Mousa is also famous for its wildlife, particularly storm petrels who roost in the broch. The island is designated as an SSSI and SPA and the nature reserve is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). CHARACTER OF THE MONUMENT Historical Overview: c. AD 100 Mousa Broch is probably built. c. 3 rd /4 th century AD a wheelhouse is constructed inside the broch. c. 900 according to Egil s Saga, an eloping couple from Norway, shipwrecked in Shetland whilst on their way to Iceland, take refuge in Morseyaborg (mossy island fort). 1153 according to Orkneyinga Saga, a certain Erland abducts Margaret, mother of Earl Harald Maddadson, and takes her to Moseyarborg where everything had been made ready. Earl Harald tracks Erland down and besieges the broch but finds it an unhandy place to get at. In due course the two sides are reconciled, and Erland is permitted to marry Margaret. c. 1800 a laird s house, The Haa, is built a short distance to the SE of the broch. mid-19 th century H Dryden visits (1852) and surveys the broch. He notes that beehive huts once existed within the adjacent enclosure and that traces of 1/7
small, robbed structures are visible near the broch entrance. Limited repairs are carried out at the broch around the same time, chiefly to the wall-head. 1885 Mousa Broch is entrusted by its owner, John Bruce of Sumburgh, into State care, one of the first in the UK to be afforded such protection since the passing of the first Ancient Monuments in 1882. 1919 the broch is cleared of debris and consolidated. The entrance doorway is significantly rebuilt. 1961 the entire island is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, chiefly for its breeding birds, inc. storm petrels that roost in the broch. Archaeological Overview The broch comprises not just the broch itself but the area immediately adjacent, where the scanty remains of a low earthen bank survive. The broch The ground level inside the broch is cluttered with stonework relating to later uses of the broch certainly as a wheelhouse and also perhaps as a Vikingera fortification. This has clearly been investigated in the past, and some stonework judiciously removed to explore what lay beneath. There is record of masonry restoration in the 1850s and 60s, and this may well have involved clearance of the broch s interior. For example, there is a record in 1866 that there were three radial walls surviving of the wheelhouse, where now only part of one remains. There has been no archaeological excavation in modern times. The archaeological potential remains high, despite the antiquarian interventions. There should be significant archaeological deposits remaining within the broch, undisturbed behind and below what remains of the later wheelhouse. These will relate to the primary occupation of the broch, and if material remains survive they could well be susceptible to scientific analysis, and hopefully dating. The area adjacent The area immediately outside the broch has also been explored, but the full extent of this in not known. In 1958 the area was turfed over and has not been touched since. However, here too there are clearly undisturbed features surviving, including most noticeably a low earthen bank to the broch s east that may have served as a stock enclosure. Antiquarian records tell of houses and other structures existing beside the broch entrance, but coastal erosion has taken its toll of most of these. Nevertheless, this area too has archaeological potential, which might usefully add to our understanding as to what surrounded brochs in their primary phase. Given what we know from the records of Mousa s continuing role as a fortification into the 12 th century, the area could also provide valuable clues as to the development of Iron Age brochs into embryonic medieval castles. 2/7
Architectural/Artistic Overview: Mousa Broch is without doubt the tallest, most complete broch surviving in Scotland. It is also one of the best preserved examples of later prehistoric architecture in Europe. Brief Description The broch tower, built of coursed drystone masonry, rises to a height of c. 13.3m; the surviving wall-head suggests that it may have lost just 1m from the top. The external wall has a pronounced batter in its lower part, but rises to an almost vertical top. This distinctive shape may not be original but the result of building settlement. The entrance is through a low, narrow passage from its west side. About halfway along is one door jamb, formed from a single flagstone set on edge with a bar-hole behind, as is also the case at Clickhimin. The interior measures only c. 5.5m across, remarkably small by normal broch standards. By contrast the encircling wall is a massive c. 5.5m thick. Opening off its solid base are three oval cells, each with a small aumbry in it. A scarcement ledge, presumably originally supporting a timber floor, survives about 2m above the ground, and at this level a narrow door leads to the spiral stone stair corkscrewing up through the hollow wall, with its six superimposed galleries floored and ceiled with large slabs, to the wall-head, A second scarcement, at a height of 3.7m, may have supported the roof. Discussion Because of its comparative completeness, Mousa has become the most referenced broch in discussions by archaeologists about the origin and nature of this unique (to Scotland) architectural form. Broch towers, with their drystone hollow-walled construction containing superimposed galleries and other distinctive architectural forms, are now accepted as belonging to the Atlantic roundhouse tradition, with origins (in northern Scotland so far only) in massive simple roundhouses dated to 800-400 BC, and more widespread, complex Atlantic roundhouses dating around 500 200 BC. Dating of this architectural tradition is still problematic, but brochs seem to appear by 200 BC, with occupation perhaps peaking in the 1 st centuries BC and AD. Some, like Mousa, Clickhimin and Jarlshof, clearly continue into the later 1 st Millennium (and beyond in Mousa s case), though usually after structural alterations (eg, building a wheelhouse inside). Atlantic roundhouses are difficult to classify in the absence of archaeological excavation and because they have usually lost their upper levels, but the current best estimate is that there may be over 500 examples in Scotland, of which less than 100 fall into the category of fully-developed broch towers. Of these, just five survive to anywhere near their original height (the other four, all in State care, are Dun Carloway, Dun Dornaigil; Dun Telve and Dun Troddan). Mousa is widely regarded as being built late in the sequence c. AD 100 and somewhat exceptional, on account of its extraordinary thick wall and remarkably small internal dimension. 3/7
Current evidence suggests that the main centre for the development of complex roundhouses and brochs was Orkney. This begs questions about the relationship between the elite groups there and those living elsewhere in the Atlantic province. In the Western Isles, for example, the archaeological evidence for how the inhabitants of complex roundhouses and brochs related to each other is notably different in character from that in Orkney. The precise function of brochs is still hotly debated. The major area of debate concerns the question of their defensibility. Some have argued that brochs were erected chiefly to reflect the prestige and status of their inhabitants, who would have had something that distinguished them from their fellows perhaps control over land, people or other resources. Others say this goes too far, and that whilst brochs may have been prestigious buildings, one cannot overlook their defensive capabilities (eg, the narrow entrance, the thick wall free of openings, and the secure wall-head). The analogy has often been drawn between brochs and the later medieval tower houses of Scotland; indeed, several books treating with Scottish castles (eg Stewart Cruden s The Scottish Castle) begin by discussing Iron-Age brochs. Social Overview: Mousa Broch is a much valued cultural heritage attraction in Shetland arguably its most important one. Although difficult to access easily, and therefore not overwhelmed with visitors, its familiar cone shape has become an icon for the Shetland Islands tourist industry. Its image springs up in all manner of publicity. Today the island of Mousa as a whole is valued as much for its natural heritage as for its broch. It is an SSSI and SPA, and the Nature Reserve, renowned especially for its birdlife, is managed by the RSPB. The broch itself features prominently here also, particularly for the storm petrels who roost in the place during the breeding season. The island with its broch and birds has become an important and valued part of the local community, particularly on account of the employment it brings. In addition to the Mousa Boat trips, visitors can enjoy the Sandsayre Centre at Sandwick Pier, as well as the Hoswick Visitor Centre 2 miles away, with its eclectic collections and archives and revivifying café. Spiritual Overview: Prehistoric houses are believed by archaeologists to have been at the heart of community life, and increasing evidence is being adduced for how prehistoric house design, including that of brochs, closely reflected the residents view of the world (cosmology). Most archaeologists are agreed that religious belief was not divorced from the domestic sphere, but we still have much to learn. There is no evidence to show that the broch plays any spiritual role today. 4/7
Aesthetic Overview Mousa Broch has to be one of the most iconic heritage sights in all Scotland, not just Shetland. The sight of the broch, whether seen at a distance from the mainland, or from the boat crossing Mousa Sound from Sandwick, or as one walks towards it from the north end of the island, is most remarkable, the more so as one begins to appreciate that one is looking at something built two thousand years ago. The monumentality of the prehistoric broch is further reinforced as one gets close to it and sees it overwhelming the modest ruined 18 th -century laird s house (The Haa) behind. The island setting further magnifies the mighty broch s impact. Now uninhabited by humans it has a rich wildlife, particularly rare seabirds, whose sound and sight are ever present. The broch itself is a delight to enter. A long, low, dark entrance leads to a remarkably small interior, its lofty encircling wall rising up to the wall-head high above. A narrow opening leads to a tight curving stone stair that just has to be climbed, giving a wonderful reward to those who make it to the top a spectacular view out over the island, across Mousa Sound to the mainland and, remarkably, out eastward over the low hills to the open sea beyond. What are the major gaps in understanding of the property? When was the broch built, and why do its proportions and surviving height make it stand out from all other brochs? Perhaps archaeological investigation within the broch will answer the dating query, but how one establishes how Mousa fits in to the development of Atlantic roundhouses, in the absence of contemporary written evidence, may never be resolved satisfactorily. What accompanied the broch by way of ancillary structures in its initial phase of occupation? Archaeological investigation of the area around the broch has the enormous potential to answer this riddle including, for example, whether the low earthen bank was built contemporary with the broch. What happened to the broch in later centuries? Here too archaeological investigation should provide valuable insights, particularly the area immediately adjacent to the broch. It is conceivable that physical remains from the Viking era still survive. ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Key Points Mousa Broch is one of the few truly iconic monuments in Scotland, immediately recognisable to many. It has become a totem of Scotland s prehistory. The broch is the most outstanding surviving example of a very unusual and sophisticated type of later prehistoric (Iron Age) building that is unique to Scotland, and one of the best preserved examples of prehistoric architecture in Europe. Although Mousa superficially looks to be the quintessential broch tower, it does differ significantly from other surviving examples. Most particularly, it is small in 5/7
area and yet its wall thickness is more massive than in other Shetland brochs. The massiveness of its build probably explains its superb preservation, perhaps suggesting that it had always been an exceptionally tall broch. The broch is an important source of evidence for the nature and complexity of later prehistoric residential life in Scotland, both prior to and beyond the Romanised parts of Britain. The wheelhouse in particular still has the potential to tell us much about the development of the Atlantic roundhouse tradition in its latest stages of development. Mousa Broch, most unusually for such structures, has a later, albeit sketchy, documented history. This, and the probability that the surrounding surviving archaeology has great potential, makes Mousa Broch even more of a key monument in our quest to understand how brochs were subsequently used in early medieval times. The broch was among the first Ancient Monuments afforded State protection following the passing of the first Ancient Monuments Act in 1882, and the initial drawing up of the first Schedule by Lt Gen Pitt Rivers, the first inspector of Ancient Monuments. The island of Mousa, including its iconic broch, is as equally renowned for its natural heritage as its cultural heritage. Associated Properties (some other well-preserved brochs in Shetland) Broch of Burraland, Sandwick; Broch of Culswick (Mainland); Burra Ness (Yell); Clickhimin Broch; Clumlie (Mainland); Jarlshof; Old Scatness, Sumburgh (Mainland) (other brochs in Historic Scotland s care) Carn Liath (Sutherland); Dun Beag (Skye); Dun Carloway (Lewis); Dun Telve & Dun Troddan (Glenelg); Dun Dornaigil (Sutherland); Edin s Hall (Berwicks); Gurness (Orkney); Midhowe (Orkney) (other examples of wheelhouse architecture) Clickhimin Broch; Jarlshof; Old Scatness (some other brochs with a documented later history) Dun Carloway; Dun Ringill (Skye) Keywords: Iron Age; broch tower; water tank; cell; stair; gallery; wheelhouse ; Egil s Saga; Orkneyinga Saga; Earl Harald Maddadson; Pitt Rivers Selected Bibliography: Armit, I., Towers in the North: the Brochs of Scotland (London, 2003) Cruden, S., The Scottish Castle (Edinburgh, 1981, 2 nd edn) Dryden, H., Notice of the Burg of Mousa in Shetland, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol 3 (Edinburgh, 1862) 6/7
Fojut, N., Is Mousa a broch?, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol 111 (Edinburgh, 1982) Fojut, N., A Guide to Prehistoric and Viking Shetland (Lerwick, 1985) Fojut, N & Pringle, D., The Ancient Monuments of Shetland (Historic Scotland, Edinburgh, 2004) Gifford, J., The Buildings of Scotland: Highlands and islands (Penguin, London, 1992) Hamilton, J The Brochs of Mousa and Clickhimin (HMSO, Edinburgh, 1983) Henderson, J C., The Prehistory and Early History of Atlantic Europe: Papers from a Session held at the European Association of Archaeologists fourth annual meeting in Goteburg 1998 BAR International Series 861 (Oxford, 2000) MacKie, E W., The roundhouses, brochs and wheelhouses of Atlantic Scotland c. 7000 BC AD 500: architecture and material culture. Part 1 Orkney and Shetland BAR British Series 861 (Oxford, 2002) Paterson, J W., The Broch of Mousa: A Survey by HM Office of Works, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1922) RCAHMS., Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Orkney and Shetland 3 vols (HMSO, Edinburgh, 1946) 7/7