Bow Castle
| Bow Castle | |
|
Midlothian | |
|---|---|
 Bow Castle Broch | |
| Type: | Broch |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NT46134171 |
| Location: | 55°39’57"N, 2°51’28"W |
| History | |
| Built Iron Age | |
| Material: | Stone |
| Information | |
Bow Castle is the remains of an Iron Age broch near the Gala Water, in southernmost Midlothian, in the parish of Stow. It is a very rare exampole of this form of construction so far south.
Description
Bow Castle stands on level ground on the edge of a steep slope southwest of the valley of the Gala Water.[1] The broch has a wall 13 feet thick, enclosing an area 32 feet in diameter.[1]
The broch is the only one to be found in Midlothian, and in the wider area of the Tweed Basin there are only two others: Torwoodlee Broch in Selkirkshire, and Edin's Hall Broch in Berwickshire.
Excavations
The structure was excavated in 1890 when pottery, including some 2nd-century Roman amphora fragments, were found.[1] In 1922 a 2nd-century Roman enamelled bronze brooch in the form of a cockerel was found among the ruins of the wall.[1]
Information concerning the dating and use of the broch is limited due to the lack of modern excavations.[1] However, Torwoodlee Broch, two miles to the north, was built and destroyed during the Roman occupations of Valentia and it is likely that Bow Castle shared a similar history.[1]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Bow Castle) |
References
- Curle, J (1892) 'Notes on two brochs recently discovered at Bow, Midlothian, and Torwoodlee, Selkirkshire', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol.26, Pages 68–70