King Orry’s Grave

Nearest town:
Douglas (10km SW)
OS reference:
SC439844
OS sheet:
95
Latitude:
54° 13' 52.36 N
Longitude:
4° 23' 42.53 W

Images

Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by postman

Looking through the portal stones to the chamber

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Sep 3, 2023
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by postman

In the chamber looking through the portal stones

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Sep 3, 2023
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by postman

I haven’t seen a burial chamber this close to houses since Brittany.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Sep 3, 2023
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by postman

King Orry’s Grave in it’s uber suburban setting

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Sep 3, 2023
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by postman

The other end of king Orry’s grave across the road and behind a house.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Sep 3, 2023
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by thesweetcheat

The lovely orthostat in the facade of the southwestern tomb.

Image credit: A. Brookes (20.8.2019)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 29, 2019
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by thesweetcheat

The narrow portal leading from the forecourt into the chamber of the northeastern tomb. The two-stone portal arrangement is very similar to that at Cashtal yn Ard.

Image credit: A. Brookes (20.8.2019)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 29, 2019
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by Moz

North-eastern section, looking north east towards the forecourt (elevated).

Image credit: Moz
Moz
Moz Jul 13, 2008
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by Moz

Wide-angle shot of the north-east section.

Image credit: Moz
Moz
Moz Jul 13, 2008
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by Kammer

Taken 24th August 2003: The south western section of the site, viewed from the south west.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Dec 8, 2003
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by Kammer

Taken 24th August 2003: The south western section of the site, viewed from the north east.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Dec 8, 2003
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by Kammer

Taken 24th August 2003: The north east section of the site, taken looking east over (and through) the entrance to the first chamber into the forecourt. Clear as mud.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Dec 8, 2003
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by Kammer

Taken 24th August 2003: The north eastern section of the site, viewed from the north (or thereabouts).

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Dec 8, 2003
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by Rivington Pike

Site Layout of King Orry’s Grave. Taken from The Prehistoric Society – British Isles Study Tour 1994 (Isle of Man)

Rivington Pike
Rivington Pike Jun 27, 2003
Image of King Orry’s Grave (Chambered Cairn) by Rivington Pike

View of the South-West section of the chambered tomb showing the large upright.

Image credit: The dryad of Angelzarke
Rivington Pike
Rivington Pike Jun 27, 2003

Articles

King Orry’s Grave

postman
postman Sep 3, 2023

Entering Laxey from the south on the A2, follow the main road past the big water wheel, as you leave Laxey look for the burial chamber road sign pointing left down a thin lane, it will quickly appear large and obvious on your right, parking can be tricky.

After a wait that can only be described as too lengthy I finally arrive on the Isle of Man, after a quick stop at a beer selling shop we go straight to King Orry’s grave, a site name that to me epitomizes big famous sites Ive yet to see. Upon arrival the five of us pick a seat around the site and settle down for a drink, apparently now a tradition.
Not since Brittany have I seen a such a neatly suburbanised burial chamber, snugly squished into a corner by two very close to houses. The lady who lived in one of the houses was doing some gardening which entailed her walking through the site, she told us it was a nice day for it, we had to guess what “it” was, but agreed that it was anyway.
Neatly and snugly are merely polite ways of saying brutally banged about by uncaring housing and road planners, the back yard of the house to the south and the road through it are a good six feet lower than the stones, who on earth thought it was good idea to gouge a way through it like this?
Across the road and behind a house is what looks like the rest of the site, perhaps a later extension to what was already there, or a totally other site ? who knows ? Not I, but I enjoyed it all the same.

King Orry’s Grave

Kammer
Kammer Dec 8, 2003

Visited 24th August 2003: Is this one site or two? Nobody seems to know for sure. We parked up right next to the north eastern section of the site, and while Alfie dozed in the car we tried to figure out what went where. Like Cashtal yn Ard there’s a forcourt, a clearly visible tomb entrance, and a long denuded cairn with chambers, but in this case the road cuts the end off.

On the other side of the road is the south western section of King Orry’s Grave, and this may or may not be part of the same cairn. The solitary standing stone is thought to be the last of the stones that defined the arced wall of yet another forecourt (this suggests to me that the two sites aren’t part of the same tomb).

Both parts of the site are difficult to interpret. Luckily there are big information boards on both sides of the road with reconstructive illustrations on them (slightly fanciful, but still useful). If you plan on visiting King Orry’s Grave, I’d recommend getting hold of a plan beforehand. It will help.

Folklore

King Orry’s Grave
Chambered Cairn
Kammer
Kammer Dec 8, 2003

The Manx National Heritage information board next to the south western part of the site has this to say about King Orry:

King Orry is an almost legendary character revered by the Manx as their greatest king. He was King Godred Crovan, who seized the throne in 1079 and created the kingdom of Man and the Isles stretching from the Irish Sea to the Outer Hebrides. Several monuments are named in deference to him, but there is no connection between the historical figure and these prehistoric remains.

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