Remarks on the Ancient Structures called Picts' Houses and Burghs, with especial reference to the Burgh of Mousa in Shetland

Abstract

This article gives an overview of the evidence for the types of dwellings used throughout Scotland. The author does acknowledge that there is debate around whether people lived in some of the structures described. He pays particularly close attention to 'burgs' (brochs), arguing that these structures were used as temporary fortifications in the early medieval period. The article concludes with an update on the proposed restoration of the Mousa Broch (see Dryden, pp.123-124) and a suggestion that the Society should appeal to the public for the funds to conserve the structure.