seen from track going to Knowe of Verron
Images
Silage pit at right of mound, Skaill Church visible behind.
mound seen from Lenahowe road above, silage pit at right back
uphill side of mound, stones evident in possible excavation depression
seen alongside few stones visible
evidence for stones used to construct mound mixed with modern dump
silage pit section across seaward end of mound
Articles
Up past Skaill Church take a left at the very next junction, a farm road that takes three sides of a square that brings it back to the proper road again. On the first side is the farm track down to Lenahowe. Here is the Linnahowe Mound just as advertised by the NMRS, a long prominent mound occupying most of an enclosure, many stones revealed by the pit but nothing resembling any kind of structuring. I only saw a few stones in the undug bit, nothing you could make anything of in the slightest.
Marwick (“The Orkney Herald” 11/7/1888), rather fancifully, in my opinion, asserts that Linahowe means “the goddess of love and marriage”. He records that local tradition says the Church of Rome sent a priest called Mohr to the Bay of Skaill to convert the pagans, and that he set up a church near by Linahowe.
Brand 1703 “the Minister of Sandwick’s Manse is said to have been the residence of one of the kings of Picts... to this day called Koningsgar or the King’s House... tho now kept in some repair... The figure thereof and the contrivance of its two Rooms or Chambers one above and one below, of narrow dimensions, and antick, and the Building hath been but coarse.”
In a book on the Breckness Estate there is a quote from 1830 of “a mound of stones on the sea beach, called the Castle of Sneusgarth” which means the castle is either this mound or (more likely) the broch [unless there was a now lost mound at the taing]. The castle is a moveable feast whichever way you read things.
The other side of Skaill Church from the Castle of Snusgar. ‘The Castle’ was an old structure now gone to leave behind a detail-less spread of stones in an extensive mound. A silage pit dug through one end uncovered no evidence of walls amongst the stones but did find ashes and old bones.
On analogy with why the brochs of Burray were locally differentiated as “Hillock” and “Castle” it appears that the latter name is used for sites with subterranean chambers (“dungeons”).
Sites within 20km of Linnahowe
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Skaill Church
photo 1 description 2 -
Knowe of Verron
photo 21 forum 2 description 3 -
Upper Garson
photo 1 description 1 -
Millhouse
description 1 -
Skaill road
photo 1 description 2 -
Skara Brae
photo 65 forum 6 description 21 link 5 -
Russel Howe
photo 10 description 3 -
Vestrafiold
description 1 -
Loch of Skaill Niche
photo 2 forum 1 description 2 -
Knowe of Geoso
photo 8 description 4 -
Knowe of Nebigarth
description 3 -
Knowes of Yonbell
description 1 -
Knowe of Angerow
photo 11 description 2 -
Hurkisgarth
forum 1 description 3 -
Broch of Borwick
photo 18 description 6 link 1 -
Knowes of Howana
description 1 -
Grind
description 1 -
Vetquoy
description 1 -
Stockan
description 1 -
Knowe of Skorn
description 1 -
Loch of Clumly
photo 4 description 2 -
South Seatter
photo 1 description 2 -
Brough of Bigging
photo 6 description 3 -
Via Barrow
forum 1 description 3 -
Quinni Moan
description 1 -
Spurdagrove
photo 3 description 3 -
Stones of Via
photo 3 forum 1 description 3 -
Via Mound
photo 6 description 2 -
Via Mound
photo 3 description 3 -
Burn of Cruland
photo 2 description 1 -
Berrydale
description 1 -
Rosemount and Easthouse
description 1 -
Ravie Hill
photo 1 description 3 -
Hourston
photo 3 description 2 -
Voy
photo 4 description 1 -
Linga Fold
description 1 -
East House
description 1 -
Voy
photo 25 description 3 link 1 -
Shennar Howe
description 2 -
Dounby House
description 1 -
Queena Fjold
photo 15 description 4 -
Knowe of Makerhouse
description 2 -
Stackrue Broch
photo 15 description 6 link 1 -
Stackrue-Lyking Mound
photo 4 description 2 -
Wheebin
photo 9 description 6 -
Burrian (Russland)
photo 2 description 3 -
Oxtro Broch
photo 11 description 3 link 1 -
Loch of Boardhouse
photo 4 description 5 -
Knowe of Nesthouse
description 2 -
Burrian Broch
photo 1 description 1 -
North Biggin
photo 9 description 3 -
Skae Frue
photo 9 description 6 -
Ring of Bookan
photo 9 description 14 link 1 -
Quholm, Burn of Una
photo 12 description 2 -
St. Magnus’s Well
photo 4 description 2 -
The Brecks
photo 49 description 7 -
Bookan
photo 15 description 3 link 2 -
Kirbister Hill
description 1 -
Knowe of Buckquoy
photo 6 description 6 -
Knowe of Burrian (Garth Farm)
photo 2 description 2 -
Stanerandy
photo 11 description 7 -
Wasbister Cairn
photo 9 description 1 -
Point of Buckquoy
photo 7 description 4 -
Point of Buckquoy
photo 4 description 1 -
Knowe of Gullow
photo 2 description 2 -
Bookan Cairns
photo 21 description 4 -
Newan
photo 4 description 3 -
Wasbister Disc Barrow
photo 16 description 1 -
Maesquoy
photo 1 description 1 -
Ring of Brodgar
photo 159 forum 16 description 22 link 5 -
Plumcake Mound
photo 5 description 4 -
Salt Knowe
photo 7 description 7 -
Burrian (Corrigall)
photo 5 description 3 -
Fresh Knowe
photo 9 description 4 -
Deepdale
photo 15 forum 1 description 6 -
Ness of Brodgar Cairns
description 1 -
Comet Stone
photo 27 description 7 link 2 -
Staney Hill
photo 17 description 5 -
Nettletar
photo 6 description 2 -
Hundland Hill
description 1 -
Feolquoy
photo 1 description 3 -
Staney Hill
photo 13 forum 1 description 7 -
Grimston
photo 9 description 1 -
Point of Onston
photo 1 description 3 -
Harray Viewpoint
photo 6 description 2 -
Unstan
photo 67 description 10 link 1 -
Knowe of Crustan
photo 8 description 5 -
Lyde Road
description 1 -
Henge
description 3 -
Crustan
photo 2 description 3 -
Pickaquoy
photo 4 description 2 -
Ness of Brodgar
photo 3 forum 3 description 43 link 5 -
Appiehouse
photo 7 description 5 -
Lochview
photo 18 forum 1 description 13 -
The Howe
photo 2 description 2 -
The Howe
photo 10 description 2 -
The Howe
photo 4 description 1 -
Vola
photo 14 description 4 -
Knowes of Lingro
photo 7 forum 1 description 5 -
Knowes of Lingro
photo 2 description 1 -
Mittens
photo 1 description 3 -
Stone of Odin
photo 2 forum 2 description 11 link 1 -
The Watchstone
photo 18 description 8 link 1 -
Brockan
photo 10 forum 1 description 2 -
Barnhouse Settlement
photo 58 description 4 link 2 -
The Standing Stones of Stenness
photo 104 forum 2 description 18 link 3 -
Nether Bigging
description 2 -
Leafea
photo 16 description 6 -
Breckness
photo 12 description 2 -
Dale
photo 4 description 3 -
Cummi Howe
photo 13 description 4 -
Standing Stones Hotel
photo 2 description 4 -
Knowes of Trotty
photo 6 description 7 link 1 -
Corn Hillock
photo 5 description 3 -
Barnhouse Stone
photo 7 forum 1 description 5 -
Maeshowe
photo 50 ondemand_video 1 forum 16 description 30 link 7 -
Quoyelsh
photo 9 description 2 -
Costa Hill
photo 2 description 3 -
Lower Hobbister
photo 5 description 3 -
Wasdale
photo 32 description 10 -
Howe Harper
photo 11 description 4 link 1 -
Lower Arsdale
description 2 -
Hill of Heddle
photo 1 description 1 -
Snaba Hill
photo 4 description 2 -
Harraymen’s Graves
description 1 -
Peterkirk
photo 5 description 2 -
Rowamo Cottage
photo 3 description 1 -
Burgar
photo 10 description 2 -
The Hillock
photo 15 description 3 -
Broch of Burgar
photo 5 description 1 -
Knowe of Grugar
photo 12 description 3 -
Knowe of Stenso
photo 11 description 2 -
Brough of Braebister
photo 15 description 2 -
The Fairy Knowe
photo 57 forum 1 description 12 link 2 -
Sower
photo 5 description 2 -
Quoys
description 1 -
Redland South
photo 12 description 4 -
Redland North
description 1 -
Oyce of Isbister
photo 1 description 3 -
Ward Hill
photo 3 description 1 -
Seven Knowes
photo 8 description 2 -
Chapel Knowe
photo 1 description 2 -
Broch of Gurness
photo 37 description 8 link 2 -
Sandyhall
photo 4 description 2 -
St Mary’s Kirk (Isbister)
photo 7 description 1 -
Knowe of Midgarth
photo 10 description 2 -
Tingwall
photo 23 description 5 -
Knowe of Rowiegar
photo 4 description 1 link 1 -
Knowe Of Swandro
description 1 link 2 -
Ingshowe Broch
photo 19 description 2 -
Green Hill of Quoyness
photo 7 description 2 -
North Howe
description 1 -
South Howe
photo 1 description 3 link 1 -
Broch of Midhowe
photo 14 description 2 -
Midhowe
photo 12 description 4 link 1 -
Ness of Woodwick
photo 10 description 2 -
Westness
description 1 -
Whoom
description 1 -
Nabban
photo 6 description 1 -
Rennibister
photo 33 description 5 link 4 -
Quendal
description 1 -
Knowe of Lairo
photo 12 description 6 link 2 -
Knowe of Burrian
photo 5 description 1 -
Graystane
photo 4 description 4 -
Knowe of Ramsay
photo 3 description 1 -
Long Stone
photo 8 forum 1 description 3 -
Konger’s Knowe
photo 12 description 6 -
Gyre
photo 2 description 2 -
Harproo
photo 4 forum 1 description 4 -
Knowe of Yarso
photo 28 description 5 -
Wideford Hill
photo 8 description 2 -
Hillock of Breakna
photo 10 description 4 -
Knowe of Dishero
photo 13 description 2 -
Wideford Hill
photo 43 description 8 link 1 -
Knowe of Hunclett
photo 6 description 1 -
Blackhammer
photo 23 description 3 link 1 -
Dwarfie Hamars
photo 6 description 1 -
Quanterness
photo 5 description 4 -
The Dwarfie Stane
photo 46 description 18 link 4 -
Patrick Stone
photo 3 description 1 -
Toy Ness
photo 11 description 1