Latest views still split – archaeologist sees analogy with Stones of Stenness, locals remember there being a time they could walk into a central chamber.
wideford
BA burial mound or chambered tomb
The handwritten drafts of George Petrie are amongst the papers of Alfred W.Johnstone, specifically Orkney Archive GB241/21/2/8
The 1882 map shows two Hillheads. The second, just before you come to Highland Park Distillery, is no longer extant. It was called Hillhead of Crantit (HY45090927). HY40NW 13 places two balls recovered here (though confusingly also naming it Hillhead House, which is simply Hillhead) The other side of the house boundary, at HY45090924, was a minor earthwork. Could this be the location of the ‘actual’ Crantit Souterrain?
It is possible that the site the O.S. identified with the souterrain is the same as that Old-maps shows to have been marked as one of Orkney’s multitude of wells. Too close to call.
RCAHMS NMRS No. HY40NW 6 at HY44720855.
1882 A large circular mound, uncultivatable because of stones.
1993 Fort. Spread over two fields (mostly that called ‘Well Park’), with many features lost to levelling i.e. no trace of entrance. Single earthen rampart encloses oval area roughly 75 yards north-south by 55 yards [boundary features uphill and downhill lost since 1882 ?].
1964 Enclosure. Now being ploughed out, the site on a western slope has a smaller earth bank inside the main one.
Of the carved stone balls found in Orkney a quarter came from this hillside. One of sandstone from this actual site was last seen in a collection (NMAS, HH417). Of two at HY40NW 13 one is in the Hunterian Museum (B.1914.356) whilst the whereabouts of one of diorite from Hillswick in Shetland are not known. Another was discovered by 1882 drain diggings in ‘Well Park’ a couple of yards from where a well/spring existed until a decade before (HY40NW 12 located at HY44730866 on the present well [though a dark triangle visible from the road below seems a likely issuance to me] ).
If these balls are truly associated with this site that would put it back at least as far as the Bronze Age. On the other hand, on the basis of the little I know presently, an archaeologist friend is inclined to put it much later and relates it to pre-broch Clickhimin or possibly The Howe 3/4 (even amorphous post-broch).
When I attended a talk on the Bu of Orphir it was revealed that geophysics in Orphir had shown a double ring of 70m diameter. If this site were originally more circular the dimensions are comparable – could there be a connection?
Some info not on NMRs from P.S.A.S. Volume XXXVII P.27 :-
In 1797 descibed as a circular tower of about 180’ circumference. The author of the P.S.A.S. chapter made it about 170’ in circumference, with walls 12’ thick and an int. diameter of roughly 30’. His investigations in 1879 & 1901 would explain the NMRS “an apparently old excavation” reference.
Also called The Brough, but known by locals as the Hillock of Brecknay after a nearby farm. In 1797 associated with a Sveinn Breastrope. Site then erronaeously labelled Earl Sveinn’s Castle, which then became ruins of Earl’s Palace on the map. Could it originally have simply been called the Castle, one of many in Orkney ?
Extracted from “Betwixt & Between” by Mary Dodsworth and Iain Steele in “The Cauldron” no.115), themselves drawing on “The Folklore of Radnorshire” by Roy Palmer :-
Beguildy church, on raised site by River Teme, probably a B.A. settlement.
Bleddfa church on a B.A. mound.
Bryngwyn: The Six Stones near N boundary of village is a stone circle of ~12 stones.
Llanfihangel Cascob cut into a burial mound.
Llanfihangel Cefnllys a B.A. site. I.A. fort on Cefnllys Hill turned into mediaeval castle.
Discoed church south of a five millenium old yew – a circular site about an antient mound and a Neolithic tree.
Disserth church a circular site with a well nearby formerly dressed with mistletoe.
Kinnerton church within an earlier circular wall. By the road to Old Radnor there is a standing stone.
Llanbister church has tower behind altar, at the E end. Sulfur well overlooks church.
Llandegley church very late, healing well on Cymaron riverbank side nearby.
Llandeio Graban tower bedroom for last Welsh dragon.
Llandewi Ystradenni. Giant’s burial at Tomen Beddugre nearby.
Llanelwedd church has thity tumuli within half-a-mile and a lost standing stone.
Llanfihangel Nant Melan ringed by ancient yews, with one holding solitary remnant of a stone circle.
Nantmel church has 6 two millenia old yews in precinct. 2 standing stones called the Devil’s Clogs on nearby Tan-y-cefn farm.
Old Radnor church font cut from fifth stone of Four Stones group at edge of Kinnerton-Walton road. In 1994 a vast stone circle revealed from the air in the Radnor valley – probably defined by 1400 oaks, it covers 34 hectares but doesn’t have a precise location !
Pilleth church has well behind that was resorted to by people with eye problems.
St. Harmon chuch first dedication in Wales, but he wasn’t buried in Bedd Harmon near it. Two stone circles also near, though Cwm y Saeson only has two stones left out of 14 and that on Hendre Rhiw farm only one of 5. Dogs and people treated by sulfur spring on Temple Bar farm.
Whitton church lies in an earlier circular llan.
RCAHMS NMRS No. HY30NE 13 at HY35330508 is down as a possible broch, with a Great War flagpole or wireless mast showing as what looks like a cist. Since 1946 it has reduced from 103x92x6 feet to 30x24x1.7m. What seemed like the remains of an old dig indicated a wall thickness of 11’ at a height above ground level. It is orientated E-W N-S. Farming has squared the NW corner.
SU16 NE4 probable site at SU161684. Colt Hoare in the early 1800’s only referenced the early writers and towards the end of that century A.C. Smith was unable to find it. The ‘Broadstones’ location would have been destroyed by a 1792 (approx.) road widening. The other suggestion is the ‘Broken Crosses’ area, which is SE of Clatford crossroads.
RCAHMS NMRS no.s HY51SW 4 The Brough and HY51SW 3 ‘Covenanters Graves’, at HY54501005 and HY54501005 respectively, are best thought of as a promontory fort and outbuildings (I am reminded of the ‘sailors graves’ at the Brough of Bigging, but those by contrast lie within the fort, the adjoining land not so suitable there). CANMORE lists many features but in practice all is covered by tussocks of maritime grass – when I went all that could be safely observed were one slab on the promontory and another on the landward side, of which the latter can just be made out on my photo. A 12.5m circle to the east of the ‘graves’ is formed by two low earth and stone banks and may represent a greatly eroded building. Further along the northern edge of the path over the narrow strip of land several structures in a line have been found ; two ?hut-circles 3m across, a rectangular ?building 8m long, several hummocks with erect slabs.
SE89NW 4 at SE809983 , remains of uncertain period in side of excavated road and site of two other cists
An 1882 map shows the Saverock souterrain to have been on a place called Lower Saverock. It shows two sluices on the Burn of Hatston between the main road and the road through the bottom of the industrial estate, but from the latter to the shore only a straight fence line is shown i.e. no sign of the structures that I have noted (though it does make the second more likely to have been used as a sluice gate for the final section of the burn).
sites a nautical mile apart as determined in the 1920’s by John Fraser, from the “Proceedings of the Society of Orkney Antiquaries” :
HARRAY
Upperbrough HY31361790 Marykirk (Russland) HY29511774
Nettletar HY32321741 Knowe of Bosquoy HY30931864
Marykirk (Russland) HY29511774 Knowe of Gullow HY30691629
Knowe of Bosquoy HY30931864 Burrian (Netherbrough) HY30821680
SANDWICK
Holy Kirk HY24952163 Loch of Isbister Broch HY25722334
Sandwick Kirk HY23451987 centre of enclosure HY237217
Burrian (Wasbister) Lyking Chapel site HY27071505
Kirkness Chapel site HY28001878 Marykirk (Russland) HY29511774
BIRSAY
Stanerandy Stones HY26742761 Curcum Chapel HY28412845
Makerhouse Knowe HY29352114 North Bigging Broch HY30802000
Brenda Knowe HY26612381&76 Forsakelda Knowe HY28302314
Knowe of Smirrus HY29142156 Wassam (Sandwick) HY28881538
STENNESS
Ke(i)thesgeo/Kethisquoy Stone site HY30351136 Maes Howe HY31821277
FIRTH
The Hillock HY361142 Loch of Wasdale HY34321473
Burness Broch HY38821557 Redland Broch HY37801715 site
Burrien Hill poss. Redland Broch HY37801715 site
Redland Chapel HY37151713 Settiscarth Chapel HY3719
EVIE
Howana Gruna HY3366 2631 W of Broch of Burgar HY34802782 is Burgar Chambered Cairn aka Brough
Broch of Gurness HY382268 Redland Standing Stone/s HY38012502
-------------------
Upperbrough is NMRS Harray Churchyard
Burrian (Netherbrough) is NMRS Knowe of Burrian/ Garth
Sandwick Kirk is NMRS St. Peter’s Kirk
centre of enclosure is NMRS Vestrafiold Enclosure
Curcum Chapel is NMRS Abune-the-Hill Chapel
Wassam is Burrian Broch (Sandwick)
W of Broch of Burgar is NMRS Burgar Chambered Cairn aka Brough
Redland Standing Stones is now NMRS Redland North Chambered Tomb
Redland Broch a.k.a. Steeringlo/Stirlinglo
Settiscarth Chapel is a.k.a. Kirk o’Cott
Makerhouse is a burnt mound as are also the Brenda Knowe(s).
Knowe of Smirrus/Smirrans/Smirrens is a barrow.
Alignments noted in the 1920’s by John Fraser in the “Proceedings of the Society of Orkney Antiquaries” :
30 DEGREES E OF N
Knowe of Bosquoy HY30931864 Quoys of the Hill HY31832031 is Nether Corston (a Johnsmas bonfire used to be held below this)
Marykirk (Grimeston) HY31091426 Staney Hill Stone HY31951567
42 DEGREES E OF N = MIDSUMMER SUNRISE
Marykirk (Russland) HY29511774 Quoys of the Hill HY31832031 is Nether Corston
Barnhouse Stone HY31271217 Maes Howe HY31821277
50 DEGREES E OF N
Burrian (Russland) HY29641835 Quoys of the Hill HY31832031 is Nether Corston
Staney Hill Stone HY31951567 Appiehouse Stone HY32621620
NORTH , SOUTH
Cummina Howe HY28241039 Knowe of Onston HY28291172 Ring of Bookan HY28341450
Ke(i)thesgeo Stone HY30351136 HY30551263 Watch Stone
Stones of Stenness HY30671252 HY31091426 Marykirk (Grimeston)
Barnhouse Stone HY31271217 HY31361790 Harray Churchyard
Howen Brough HY31801914 HY31832031 Quoys of the Hill is Nether Corston
Nettletar HY32321741 HY31832031 Quoys of the Hill is Nether Corston
Burrian (Corrigall) HY32351937 HY31832031 Quoys of the Hill is Nether Corston
(The Kethesgeo Stone was found, still in its socket, five feet below ground level)
77 DEGREES W OF N
Ring of Brodgar centre HY29451335 Maes Howe HY31821277
Burrian (Russland) HY29641835 Harray Churchyard HY31361790
60 DEGREES W OF N
Ring of Brodgar centre HY29451335 Watch Stone HY30551263 Barnhouse Stone HY31271217
Three notices :
1) A 20’by about 2’ mound is above Harroldshay farm and there are two of similar size alongside. Snaba Hill Mound 100m to the south.
2) Snaba Hill Mound 45’ diameter 4’ high at 200’ OD on shoulder of hill. 3 mounds short distance to NE ; 1 above Harroldshay and the other two close by. About 100m S, but still on the brow of the hill, is a mound 35’ diameter by 4’.
3) Most recent only located slightly oval mound 14x12x1.2m with ring of stones around the W side, set on edge leaning out But this at 350’ OD.
Below Vinquin Hill a stone with two 0.21m high spirals was taken from a mound at HY32632869 and placed in the S end of a workshop gable a couple of fields away HY32772867. This is on the inside of the building still one believes.
Other sites include ;
3 large slabs disturbed by a spring HY24252836
Bronze Age structure and shell midden HY24272834
Sinclair’s Brae; cists and Pictish farmstead HY24372823
Figure-of-8 building HY24502817
The only comparable structure on Mainland, a horned passage grave surviving 60x13x102m, was found in at Hurnip’s Point in Deerness at HY5440634 during a 1991 dig on much later boat-noosts.
The relationship between the brough and the ‘sailor’s graves’ resembles that between the promontary fort of Brough in Tankerness HY54501005 and the ‘Covenanter’s Graves’ HY54461005 i.e. probably associated buildings.
14 yards SSW a stone stump aligned NE/SW could possibly now gone could have been all that remained of the arc of a large circle now underwater. It was 4’9” wide, 5” thick and a little over 3’ high. The top was level with the presentday ground surface.
About midway between the stone circles five cists were found HY302129. Four 3’x2’x1’ were aligned E/W and one at the end was 6"x6"x1’. Across the E ends of the middle two was a 2’6” triangular stone, incised with eight varying symbols, now at the national museum. Five foot below all of this was another cist.
P.S. April 2005, Nick Card is of the opinion that calling these cists is probably misleading as in the light of work at the Ness of Brodgar these could well be settlement features and the stone associated instead with the possible chambered tomb shown on the geophysics.
When Brochan was still officially considered a chambered cairn this was likened to it in terms of the observable structure of each and that at both sites “rude stone implements” were found. Also both are near brochs and springs.
As regards my hypothesis concerning the possible connection of mines/metalworking with burnt mounds amongst the stone implements found was at least one hammerstone.
The stone structures where they remain at the loch end are subject to constant flooding.
A small monolith stood about 50’ SE of the mound – the Clouduhall stone is described as 30-35 yards away.
A promontory fort located on a tongue of land called Gernaness, behind and to the left of the Standing Stones Hotel. Most of the stones were taken for the farm at Nether Bigging, explaining the NMRS hesitancy as to site type. If there was a broch on the Neolithic settlement at Lochview themodernantiquarian.com/post/29093 then one is put in mind of Yesnaby where we have the Broch of Borwick and the Brough of Bigging in a similar situation.
There is also a promontory fort or ness-taking in the region of the Unstan tomb, the Point of Onston themodernantiquarian.com/post/24529
There were at least three wells of notes in the Stenness region. The sacred well stood in a marshy field with many springs below a farm (HY33721048 ?). This describes a different location from that ascribed to Bigswell which is on a slope across from the modern farm (Upper Bigswell). Both these are well SSE of Maes Howe however. But at the lochshore below the Ring of Brodgar is/was placed the “fairy well” (HY29541300).
When it still stood early visitors report the stone was not in the centre but at the side nearest the loch.
The interior is 45’ across and the walls 12’ thick, with 3/4 of the wall outline surviving. Additional to the chambers in the east and south that were originally known about there are the remains of a possible guard-cell at the NW. A centrally placed well drains to the probable west entrance (where there is now a gap in the wall).
Several cremation cists were inserted in the mound and originally ascribed to the Bronze Age ! Down the road at Saevar Howe a similar but later discovery is ascribed to a (long cist) Christian cemetery. One of the covers had an eagle inscribed but has now disappeared from the farmhouse wall it was transferred to. Viking objects and Samian ware point to multi-period use.
John Fraser in the Proceeding of the Society of Orkney Antiquaries mentions a well near the broch’s presumed centre. On the other side of the road the passage mentioned goes in an easterly direction, and he believed that it was heading for the burn like a similar passage at the broch of Nettletar.
In the last few years before Scerrabrae was excavated John Fraser in Vol.2 of the Proceedings of the Society of Orkney Antiquaries wroteof it “the labyrinth-like walls of the structures to a small extent resemble the maze of walled enclosures at Lingro Broch”.
Caroline Wickham-Jones today on Radio Orkney talked of the discovery of Mesolithic tools and a small cairn that had probable postholes beneath it, speculating on the possibility of a Mesolithic settlement hereabouts. Though the only place mentioned was Mine Howe the fact that a Bronze Age date for the postholes needed to be ruled out makes me wonder if this is not actually a reference to work on the cist at Long Howe. Caroline Wickham-Jones being a Mesolithic specialist looked forward to the prospect of a settlement of that date finally being found in Orkney (at one time people were assumed to have only arrived here in the Neolithic) and further geophysics will take place there in the coming weeks to obtain better definition on the various splodges previously ‘seen’, which could represent evidence for windbrakes etc.
On Radio Orkney today the archaeologist working the dig at the Knowe of Skea in Westray said that the burials there, mostly of children, are also coming from areas of copper and copper alloy working.
RCAHMS NMRS record no. ND48NW 3 a heavily robbed cairn at ND43498958 is 18m diameter by 1m high from an original height of maybe 1.2-1.5m. The likely entrance is shown by a depression at the east, and the flagged passage was lined to a height of 4’ over half its length. Near the centre a flooring of square slabs was reminiscent of a roofless cist. An actual cist discovered at the foot of a stone about 3m north of the entrance has been left in situ. The three stones in the NW arc are now believed to have been thrown up during roadworks.
RCAHMS NMRS record no. ND48NW1 at ND43538957 is 8’6” high, 4’2” wide and 8-9” thick and has evidence of a setting. A cist found a few feet from the W side is now thought to be a reference to the cairn many metres away. An earthfast stone, not from a cist, lies 2.8m WNW.
A much mutilated burnt mound 24x1.7m at HY29352114, the only survivor of three in the northern quadrant of Dounby.
This 3’2"x2’ stone at HY28052520 is probably not of great age according to the NMRS.
RCAHMS NMRS record no. HY22NE 6 is a much mutilated 2m high chambered mound now believed to be an Iron Age settlement. There are two well-preserved chambers in the northern half.
RCAHMS NMRS record no. HY22NW 13 includes several different types of site on the Point of Buttquoy opposite the Brough of Birsay, mostly mounds. Today there are three mounds left basically: 1/’A’ at HY24462835 has many stones covering 10m of the top but most are from a 7m diameter sheepfold and have become inextricably mixed, 2/’B’ is at HY24372833 is now practically oblong and probable kerbing is indicated by stonework projecting nearly 1.2m, 3/’C’ at HY24432826 about 10-12m across with an edge under the wall (between this and the ‘shed’ is a 12 by 7m platform ?natural).
RCAHMS NMRS record no. HY22NW 11 at HY24482820 in 1960 was definitely a stalled long cairn 73’x80’x3’. Now it is equally definitely some kind of domestic structure. It is in a stone-walled field and an excavation (“Orkney Herald” 24/9/1930 “The Orcadian” 25/9/1930) found four courses of a “stone age” straight wall at the E and a single circular course of a chamber at the W, recovering peat ash and partly burnt bones from what was probably a roughly paved floor. What survives is a 23x13m mound on a 30x23m platform.
This bears resemblance to the MIA well from the Broch of Breckness. The excavator suggested I pass my fieldnotes and images to “Discovery and Excavation in Scotland” but I couldn’t find any graph paper for the intended plans!
August 10th I found that it is now covered by an upturned pallet with a big bucket on top of that, whether to prevent further damage or to protect people from it I know not.. Nothing else has changed.
RCAHMS NMRS record no. HY21NW 22 is a probable broch 66’ NS x75’ EW x5’8"high, the top excavated early. Built over a midden containing broch-style pottery. Two structures were found in the coastal exposure, the later one poorly preserved. The earlier one was sub-rectangular or oval with a flagged floor, internal fittings and a large hearth. It was in the later one, with its paved floor and probable flue, that peat ash and metalworking remains were found – the vitrified base of a possible furnace was stolen before the limited 2001 dig.
Interesting to note that the present excavation of the Castle of Snusgar (HY236196) has uncovered a large area of Viking Age metalworking [conted.ox.ac.uk/research/projects/birsay-skaill/index.php].
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”).
RCAHMS NMRS record no. HY21NW 19 at HY22821792 is an overgrown eminence of small stones and earth generally called the Knowe of Geoso. It was [?]mistakenly thought to be a broch by association with the dwelling of Brockan in the diagonally opposite corner of a field below [itself now mistakenly placed at the quarry in the adjacent field’s corner, Brockan here being a name which like the Hillock of Breakna signifies ‘broken (hillside)’]. This turf-covered mound despite much ‘quarrying’ is still about 0.8m high and roughly 25m across, and has barely breaking the surface in the exact centre a 0.4m long slab that could be what remains of a cist. To the SE [i.e. immediate left as you come up from Skaill Home Farm] there lie nine stones of more monumental size in an arc that probably preceded the knowe, having significant weathering and not sharing a commonality of centre with it.
RCAHMS NMRS record no. NB35SE 3 site-type standing stone at NB39705456 now scheduled as stone circle and enclosure.
The 5’x26"x13” pointy stone @1 is Clachan Mora Steinacleit. 141’ SW is a prostrate stone @2 sticking out 12’3"x2’9”, 42’ SE another stone slab @3 in the peat also 5’ min. x15”. These are the remains of a stone circle. An arc to the W with stones in its SW part complete a sub-circular drystone enclosure ~44m N/S by ~38m E/W, and there are traces of another directly SE.
RCAHMS NMRS record no. NB35SE 2 at HY39625407 change of site description to homestead and field system dates from late 1980. Even Henshall only called the stone circle “alleged”. On the other hand NB35SE 3 that was a standing stone is now scheduled as stone circle and enclosure!
NMR no. SK39NE 6 (enclosed settlement) an oval Iron Age hillfort with single defensive gap at (probably) NE, strong rampart but no counterscarp bank. Subject of several excavations EHNMR-657114 earthwork EHNMR-917996 settlement NMRMIC-5039 ditch and earthwork.
RCAHMS NMRS No. HY22NE 22 at HY27102777 is probably a stalled cairn of the Orkney-Cromarty type, 48’ diameter x4’ high in 1946 and 14.3m NNE/SSW by 10.6m and 1m in height in 1981. 2.8m ESE/WNW pointing central chamber probably shown by two slabs, one 0.55m long barely visible at the SE and the other at the NW 0.9m long projecting 0.35m. Third, non-earhfast slab on SW side. Reported in 1967 as perhaps recently repositioned. Several large slabs that used to be lying against the fence I did not see on my visit. The first report mentioned three upright slabs.
eavily quarried cairn 17x10m with an upright slab 0.9x0.6m orientated NE/Sw within. There are two slabs on the west margin of which one is fairly recent. Not a burial place. Shows signs of re-use, most likely as a kelp-kiln.