List of oldest buildings in Scotland
Other structures -- Undated buildings
Table:
Building

Image

Location

Council Area

First Built

Use

Notes

Calf of Eday cairns

Calf of Eday

Orkney

Neolithic and built in two phases.

Tomb

There are two preserved chambered tombs close together on this Orkney islet and a third in a ruinous state.

Huntersquoy cairn

Eday

Orkney

Neolithic

Tomb

A Bookan type cairn with an upper and lower storey.[153]

Broch of Culswick

Sandsting

Shetland

Iron Age

Broch

Until the 18th century this was Shetland's second most complete broch, after Mousa.[154][155]

Burra Ness Broch

Yell

Shetland

Iron Age

Broch

The wall still stands 14' high in places.[156]

Burroughston Broch

Shapinsay

Orkney

Iron Age

Settlement

Likely to "have been seen by seafaring Romans about two millennia ago."[157]

Carn Liath

Golspie

Highland

Iron Age

Broch

[158]

Clachtoll broch

Stoer

Highland

Iron Age

Broch

[159]

Dun Dornaigil

South of Ben Hope

Highland

Iron Age

Broch

[160]

Dun Hallin

Waternish, Skye

Highland

Iron Age

Broch

[161]

Dun Grugaig

Glenelg

Highland

Iron Age

Semi-broch

[162][163]

Kintradwell broch

Brora

Highland

Iron Age

Broch

[164]

Sallachy broch

Lairg

Highland

Iron Age

Broch

[165]

Stairhaven

Luce Bay

Dumfries and Galloway

Probable Iron Age

Possible broch

Also known as Crow's Neith and Broken Castle.[166]

Tirefour Castle

Lismore

Argyll and Bute

Iron Age

Broch

The walls have an average thickness of 4.5 metres (15 ft) enclosing a court about 12.2 metres (40 ft) in diameter. The wall still stands 3 metres (9.8 ft) high.[167]

Burghead Well

Burghead

Moray

Dark Age?

Baptistery?

This underground structure is unique in a Scottish context and is probably of Dark Age origin, although it may be older.[168]

Restenneth Priory

Forfar

Angus

13th century?

Monastery

Probably built on a much earlier site and the date of the extant structures is not clear.[169][170]

Considering the table along with the textual context listed at the end.

Solve the question: Tirfuir broch is located on an island whose name possibly means what ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

The Calf of Eday ( Old Norse : Kalfr ) is an uninhabited island in Orkney , Scotland , lying north east of Eday . It is known for its wildlife and its prehistoric ruins .
Orkney /ˈɔːrkni/ ( Old Norse : Orkneyjar ) , also known as the Orkney Islands , [ Notes 1 ] is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland , situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain . Orkney is 10 miles ( 16 km ) north of the coast of Caithness and has about 70 islands , of which 20 are inhabited . The largest island , Mainland , is often referred to as the Mainland , and has an area of 523 square kilometres ( 202 sq mi ) , making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles . The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall . Orkney is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland , a constituency of the Scottish Parliament , a lieutenancy area , and a historic county . The local council is Orkney Islands Council , one of only three Councils in Scotland with a majority of elected members who are independents . [ Notes 2 ] The islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years , originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts . Orkney was colonised and later annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse . The Scottish Parliament then absorbed the earldom to the Scottish Crown in 1472 , following the failed payment of a dowry for James III 's bride Margaret of Denmark . In addition to the Mainland , most of the remaining islands are in two groups , the North and South Isles , all of which have an underlying geological base of Old Red Sandstone . The climate is mild and the soils are extremely fertile , most of the land being farmed . Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy .
The Neolithic ( /ˌniːoʊˈlɪθɪk/ ( listen ) , also known as the New Stone Age ) , the final division of the Stone Age , began about 12,000 years ago when the first developments of farming appeared in the Epipalaeolithic Near East , and later in other parts of the world . The division lasted until the transitional period of the Chalcolithic from about 6,500 years ago ( 4500 BC ) , marked by the development of metallurgy , leading up to the Bronze Age and Iron Age . In Northern Europe , the Neolithic lasted until about 1700 BC , while in China it extended until 1200 BC . Other parts of the world ( including the New World ) remained broadly in the Neolithic stage of development until European contact . The Neolithic comprises a progression of behavioral and cultural characteristics and changes , including the use of wild and domestic crops and of domesticated animals . [ a ] The term Neolithic derives from the Greek νέος néos , new and λίθος líthos , stone , literally meaning New Stone Age . The term was coined by Sir John Lubbock in 1865 as a refinement of the three-age system .
Eday is one of the islands of Orkney , which are located to the north of the Scottish mainland . One of the North Isles , Eday is about 24 kilometres ( 15 mi ) from the Orkney Mainland . With an area of 27 square kilometres ( 10 sq mi ) , it is the ninth largest island of the archipelago . The bedrock of the island is Old Red Sandstone , which is exposed along the sea-cliffs . There are various well-preserved Neolithic tombs , as well as evidence of Bronze Age settlement and the remains of a Norse-era castle . During the period of Scottish rule the substantial property of Carrick House was developed at Calfsound , which became a burgh for a short period . During the British era many agricultural improvements were introduced , although there has been a substantial decline in the population since the mid-nineteenth century . In the twenty-first century the Eday Partnership has had success in promoting the island 's economy . Local placenames reflect the diverse linguistic heritage and the landscapes of the island and its surrounding seas attract abundant wildlife .
The Broch of Culswick ( also Culswick Broch ) is an unexcavated coastal broch in the Shetland Islands of Scotland ( grid reference HU25384481 ) . It has good views all around , including Foula and Vaila isles , and Fitful Head and Fair Isle in the south . The broch stands on the top of a rock platform and is about 3 metres high at its tallest point . Much rubble has fallen into the centre . This broch has a massive triangular lintel stone over the entrance , which is partly filled with rubble . Drawings by Low in 1774 and Skene in 1805 reveal that the structure survived very well up to those dates .
Sandsting is a parish in the West Mainland of Shetland , Scotland , forming a southern arm of the Walls Peninsula . After the parish of Aithsting was annexed into Sandsting in the sixteenth century , it became known as Sandsting and Aithsting parish .
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity . It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic , Mesolithic , Neolithic , and Chalcolithic ) and the Bronze Age . The concept has been mostly applied to Europe and the Ancient Near East , and , by analogy , also to other parts of the Old World . The duration of the Iron Age varies depending on the region under consideration . It is defined by archaeological convention , and the mere presence of some cast or wrought iron is not sufficient to represent an Iron Age culture ; rather , the Iron Age begins locally when the production of iron or steel has been brought to the point where iron tools and weapons superior to their bronze equivalents become widespread . For example , Tutankhamun 's meteoric iron dagger comes from the Bronze Age . In the Ancient Near East , this transition takes place in the wake of the so-called Bronze Age collapse , in the 12th century BC . The technology soon spread throughout the Mediterranean Basin region and to South Asia . Its further spread to Central Asia , Eastern Europe , and Central Europe is somewhat delayed , and Northern Europe is reached still later , by about 500 BC . The Iron Age is taken to end , also by convention , with the beginning of the historiographical record . This usually does not represent a clear break in the archaeological record ; for the Ancient Near East the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire c. 550 BC ( considered historical by virtue of the record by Herodotus ) is usually taken as a cut-off date , and in Central and Western Europe the Roman conquests of the 1st century BC serve as marking for the end of the Iron Age . The Germanic Iron Age of Scandinavia is taken to end c. 800 AD , with the beginning of the Viking Age .
Burra Ness Broch is an iron-age broch located on the east coast of the island of Yell , Shetland , Scotland .
Yell is one of the North Isles of Shetland , Scotland . In the 2011 census it had a usually resident population of 966 . It is the second largest island in Shetland after the Mainland with an area of 82 square miles ( 212 km2 ) , and is the third most populous in the archipelago ( fifteenth out of the islands in Scotland ) , after the Mainland and Whalsay . The island 's bedrock is largely composed of Moine schist with a north-south grain , which was uplifted during the Caledonian mountain building period . Peat covers two-thirds of the island to an average depth of 1.5 metres ( 4.9 feet ) . Yell has been inhabited since the Neolithic times , and a dozen broch sites have been identified from the pre-Norse period . Norse rule lasted from the 9th to 14th centuries until Scottish control was asserted . The modern economy of the island is based on crofting , fishing , transport and tourism . The island claims to be the Otter Capital of Britain and has a diverse bird life including breeding populations of great and Arctic skuas . Notable buildings on the island include the 17th century Old Haa of Brough in Burravoe , a merchant 's house now converted to a museum and visitor centre . There are various folk tales and modern literary references to island life .
Burroughston Broch is an Iron Age broch located on the island of Shapinsay in the Orkney Islands , in Scotland ( grid reference HY54062100 ) . The site overlooks the North Sea on the northeast part of Shapinsay . Excavated in the mid 19th century , Burroughston Broch is still well-preserved . The drystone walls are up to four metres thick in some parts and there is a complete chamber intact off the entrance passage . Some remains of stone fittings are evident in the interior .
Shapinsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland . There is one village on the island , Balfour , from which roll-on/roll-off car ferries sail to Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland . Balfour Castle , built in the Scottish Baronial style , is one of the island 's most prominent features , a reminder of the Balfour family 's domination of Shapinsay during the 18th and 19th centuries ; the Balfours transformed life on the island by introducing new agricultural techniques . Other landmarks include a standing stone , an Iron Age broch , a souterrain and a salt-water shower . With an area of 29.5 square kilometres ( 11.4 sq mi ) , Shapinsay is the eighth largest island in the Orkney archipelago . It is low-lying and fertile , consequently most of the area is given over to farming . Shapinsay has two nature reserves and is notable for its bird life . At the 2011 census , Shapinsay had a population of 307 . The economy of the island is primarily based on agriculture with the exception of a few small businesses that are largely tourism-related . Plans for the construction of a wind turbine are under consideration .
Càrn Liath ( English : Grey Cairn ) is an Iron Age broch on the eastern shore of the Scottish Highlands , near Golspie , Sutherland .
Golspie ( Scottish Gaelic : Goillspidh ) is a village in Sutherland , Highland , Scotland , which lies on the North Sea coast in the shadow of Ben Bhraggie . It has a population of around 1,350 .
Highland ( Scottish Gaelic : A ' Ghàidhealtachd , pronounced [ ˈkɛːəl̪ˠt̪əxk ] ; [ a ] Scots : Heilan ) is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom . It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census . It shares borders with the council areas of Aberdeenshire , Argyll and Bute , Moray and Perth and Kinross . Their councils , and those of Angus and Stirling , also have areas of the Scottish Highlands within their administrative boundaries . The Highland area covers most of the mainland and inner-Hebridean parts of the historic counties of Inverness-shire and Ross and Cromarty , all of Caithness , Nairnshire and Sutherland and small parts of Argyll and Moray .
Stoer ( Scottish Gaelic : An Stòr ) is a crofting township in the parish of Assynt , Sutherland , in the Highlands of Scotland and in the council area of Highland . It is located about five miles north of the village of Lochinver . Norman McLeod , a presbyterian minister who led a group of emigrants to Nova Scotia and New Zealand , came from Stoer . The Old Man of Stoer , a sea stack , and the lighthouse on Stoer Head are directly accessible from Stoer , being less than 4 miles north/north west of the village . Rev Farquhar Matheson , minister of the parish from 1920 , served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland in 1939 .
Dun Dornaigil is an Iron Age broch in Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands ( grid reference NC45714501 ) . It is in Strathmore on the eastern bank of the Strathmore River . It is under the care of Historic Scotland . The interior has been filled and is now inaccessible .
Ben Hope ( Scottish Gaelic : Beinn Hòb ) is a mountain in northern Scotland . It is the most northerly Munro , standing alone in the Flow Country ( a region of bumpy , peat-covered moorland ) south-east of Loch Hope in Sutherland . The mountain is a roughly triangular wedge , with a great crag on the west , with two lower shoulders to the south and northeast . Alpine flowers are abundant in season , although the ground is very rocky .
Waternish or Vaternish ( Scottish Gaelic : Bhàtairnis ) is a peninsula approximately 12 km ( 7.5 mi ) long on the island of Skye , Scotland , situated between Loch Dunvegan and Loch Snizort in the northwest of the island , and traditionally inhabited and owned by Clan MacLeod whose clan seat is at the nearby Dunvegan Castle . The current clan chief is Hugh Macleod of Macleod . It contains the hamlets of Stein and Lusta in Loch Bay to the south east , Halistra , Hallin and Trumpan further north and Gillen to the west , all of which are accessed from the A850 road by crossing the Fairy Bridge . The highest point is Ben Geary ( 284 m ( 932 ft ) ) and the most northerly is Waternish Point . The name Waternish is derived from the Old Norse vatnenes or headland of the pond , via Scottish Gaelic Bhàtairnis . The history of the peninsula is a long ( and often bloody ) one involving clan feuds , massacres , de-population during the Highland Clearances , and eventual re-vitalisation . Originally consisting of small crofting communities , Waternish now has a growing population and is home to various arts and crafts enterprises . Whilst the main industry on Waternish is tourism , there has also been a revival in recent years of crofting or small-scale agriculture . The local school is called Knockbreck . The school has struggled recently due to an ageing population which has resulted in only 4 students currently attending and the school was scheduled for closure in summer 2015 . The local pub is the Stein Inn , which dates back to 1790 and is the oldest on Skye . Trumpan was the site of the skirmish known as the Battle of the Spoiling Dyke and the churchyard is the burial ground of Rachel Chiesley , Lady Grange .
Brora ( Scottish Gaelic : Brùra ) is a village in the east of Sutherland , in the Highland area of Scotland .
Lairg ( Scottish Gaelic : An Luirg , meaning the shank/shin ) is a village and parish in Sutherland , Scotland . It has a population of 891 and is at the south-eastern end of Loch Shin . Lairg is unusual in the northern Highlands , if not unique , in being a large settlement that is not on the coast . One of the reasons that Lairg is slightly bigger than other non-coastal Highland villages is its central location within the county of Sutherland . Having four roads which meet in the village , it used to be known as The Crossroads of the North . In the 19th century , it was provided with a railway station ( at NC582039 ) , on what is now the Far North Line . This development means that the north-west of Sutherland is now easier to reach . ( The Far North Line links Inverness in the south with Thurso and Wick in the north . )
Luce Bay is a large bay in Wigtownshire in southern Scotland . The bay is 20 miles wide at its mouth and is bounded by the Rhins of Galloway to the west and the Machars to the east .
Dumfries and Galloway ( Scots : Dumfries an Gallowa ; Scottish Gaelic : Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands . It comprises the historic counties of Dumfriesshire , Stewartry of Kirkcudbright and Wigtownshire , the latter two of which are collectively known as Galloway . The administrative centre is the town of Dumfries . Following the 1975 reorganisation of local government in Scotland , the three counties were joined to form a single region of Dumfries and Galloway , with four districts within it . Since the Local Government etc . ( Scotland ) Act 1994 , however , it has become a unitary local authority . For lieutenancy purposes , the historic counties are largely maintained with its three lieutenancy areas being Dumfries , Wigtown and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright . To the north , Dumfries and Galloway borders East Ayrshire , South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire ; in the east the Borders ; and to the south the county of Cumbria in England and the Solway Firth . To the west lies the Irish Sea .
Tirefour Castle , ( or Tirefour Broch , also spelled Tirfuir and Tirrefour ) is an Iron Age broch located 4 kilometres north of Achnacroish on the island of Lismore , Scotland .
Lismore ( Scottish Gaelic : Lios Mòr , pronounced [ ʎis̪ ˈmoːɾ ] possibly meaning great enclosure , or garden ) is an island of some 2,351 hectares ( 9.1 sq mi ) in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland . The climate is damp and mild , with over 166 centimetres ( 65 in ) of rain recorded annually . This fertile , low-lying island was once a major centre of Celtic Christianity , with a 6th-century monastery associated with Saint Moluag , and later became the seat of the medieval Bishop of Argyll . There are numerous ruined structures including a broch and two 13th-century castles . During the 19th century various new industries were introduced , including lime quarrying . During the early decades of the 20th century the population exceeded 1,000 ; but this was followed by a lengthy decline . Although resident numbers are now less than 200 , there was a small increase from 2001 to 2011 . About a third of the population were recorded as Gaelic-speaking at the former date . The modern economy is largely based on farming , fishing and tourism and the largest settlement is Achnacroish . Various shipwrecks have been recorded in the vicinity .
Argyll and Bute ( Scottish Gaelic : Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd , pronounced [ ɛrˠəˈɣɛːəlˠ̪ akəs̪ ˈpɔːtʲ ] ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area . The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead .
Burghead ( Scots : Burgheid or The Broch , Scottish Gaelic : Am Broch ) is a small town in Moray , Scotland , about 8 miles ( 13 km ) north-west of Elgin . The town is mainly built on a peninsula that projects north-westward into the Moray Firth , meaning that most of the town has sea on 3 sides . People from Burghead are called Brochers . The present town was built between 1805 and 1809 , destroying in the process more than half of the site of an important Pictish hill fort . General Roys map shows the defences as they existed in the 18th century but he wrongly attributed them to the Romans . The fort was probably a major Pictish centre and was where carved slabs depicting bulls were found ; they are known as the Burghead Bulls . A chambered well of some considerable antiquity was discovered in 1809 and walls and a roof were later added to help preserve it . Each year on 11 January a fire festival known as the Burning of the Clavie takes place ; it is thought that the festival dates back to the 17th century , although it could easily predate this by several centuries . Burghead is often known by locals as The Broch , a nickname also applied to Fraserburgh in nearby Aberdeenshire . A recent dig just beyond the boundary of Burghead at Clarkly Hill has uncovered Iron Age circular stone houses and Pictish building foundations , as well as silver and bronze Roman coins and a gold finger ring possibly from the Baltic region . Significant evidence of large scale Iron smelting has also been found , providing evidence that iron was probably being traded from this site . The National Museum of Scotland has carried out significant exploration which leads it to believe this is a significant site of interest .
Moray ( /ˈmʌri/ MURR-ee ; Scottish Gaelic : Moireibh or Moireabh ; Latin : Moravia ; Old Norse : Mýræfi ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland . It lies in the north-east of the country , with coastline on the Moray Firth , and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland . Between 1975 and 1996 Moray , with similar boundaries , was a district of the then Grampian Region .
The Dark Ages is a historical periodization traditionally referring to the Middle Ages that asserts that a demographic , cultural , and economic deterioration occurred in Western Europe following the decline of the Roman Empire . The term employs traditional light-versus-darkness imagery to contrast the era 's darkness ( lack of records ) with earlier and later periods of light ( abundance of records ) . The concept of a Dark Age originated in the 1330s with the Italian scholar Petrarch , who regarded the post-Roman centuries as dark compared to the light of classical antiquity . The phrase Dark Age itself derives from the Latin saeculum obscurum , originally applied by Caesar Baronius in 1602 to a tumultuous period in the 10th and 11th centuries . The concept thus came to characterize the entire Middle Ages as a time of intellectual darkness between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance ; this became especially popular during the 18th-century Age of Enlightenment . As the accomplishments of the era came to be better understood in the 19th and 20th centuries , scholars began restricting the Dark Ages appellation to the Early Middle Ages ( c. 5th-10th century ) , and now scholars also reject its usage in this period . The majority of modern scholars avoid the term altogether due to its negative connotations , finding it misleading and inaccurate . The pejorative meaning remains in use , typically in popular culture which often mischaracterises the Middle Ages as a time of violence and backwardness .
In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry ( Old French baptisterie ; Latin baptisterium ; Greek βαπτιστήριον , 'bathing-place , baptistery ' , from βαπτίζειν , baptízein , 'to baptize ' ) is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal font . The baptistery may be incorporated within the body of a church or cathedral , and provided with an altar as a chapel . In the early Church , the catechumens were instructed and the sacrament of baptism was administered in the baptistery .
Restenneth Priory was a monastic house of Augustinian canons founded by Jedburgh Abbey , with the patronage of King Malcolm IV of Scotland , in 1153 . Although there is little literary evidence , archaeological evidence strongly indicates that there was a monastery at Restenneth from very early times . There is also speculation that Restenneth may even have been the Pictish church dedicated to St Peter ( mentioned in Bede ) built in 710 for Nechtán mac Der Ilei , King of the Picts . Augustinian Restenneth was always a small priory and very dependent on its mother-house at Jedburgh . In 1501 there were only two canons and an annual income of £120 ( compare Arbroath Abbey , which had £10,924 in 1561 ) . There was an attempt to incorporate it into the Royal Chapel in this year , but this failed to occur , and King James IV of Scotland suggested its incorporation into the archbishopric of St Andrews . This too evidently did not occur , as priors continue to be on record . The priory was , however , turned into a secular lordship for Thomas Erskine , Viscount Fentoun , in 1606 . Among the owners of Restenneth following the Reformation was George Dempster of Dunnichen ( 1732-1818 ) , who chose part of the choir as a burial site for his family . All except the tower is now in ruins , which are a Scheduled Ancient Monument . For the tourist , Restenneth Priory is just outside the medium-sized town of Forfar . It shares an access road with the Angus Archives .
Forfar /ˈfɔːrfər/ ( listen ) ( Scots : Farfar , Scottish Gaelic : Baile Fharfair ) is the county town of Angus , Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council . It has a population of 14,048 . Forfar dates back to the temporary Roman occupation of the area , and was subsequently held by the Picts and the Kingdom of Scotland . It was occupied by the English before being recaptured by the Scots and presented to Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence . Forfar has been both a traditional market town and a major manufacturing centre for linen and jute . Today the main activities are agriculture and tourism around scenic Strathmore . The local glens are visited by hill-walkers , and there are ski-slopes in the mountains . The town has a League One football club , Forfar Athletic and a National League rugby team , the Strathmore Silverbacks . The Forfar bridie , a Scottish meat pastry snack , is traditionally identified with the town .
Angus ( Scottish Gaelic : Aonghas ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland , a registration county and a lieutenancy area . The council area borders Aberdeenshire , Dundee City [ disambiguation needed ] and Perth and Kinross . Main industries include agriculture and fishing . Global pharmaceuticals company GSK has a significant presence in Montrose in the north of the county . Angus was historically a county , known officially as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1928 , bordering Kincardineshire to the north-east , Aberdeenshire to the north and Perthshire to the west ; southwards it faced Fife across the Firth of Tay ( essentially the same border as today minus Dundee ) . It remains a registration county and a lieutenancy area . In 1975 some of its administrative functions were transferred to the council district of the Tayside Region , and in 1995 further reform resulted in the establishment of the unitary Angus Council .