Archaeological Survey at Quandale, Rousay

Date 11 May 2015 - 15 May 2016

Event ID 1001106

Category Project

Type Project

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1001106

During 11–15 May 2015 RCAHMS undertook archaeological fieldwork within an area measuring approximately 200 hectares in extent at Quandale, on the island of Rousay, Orkney. The project was developed in partnership with Dr Keir Strickland and Daniel Lee (ORCA, UHI Archaeology Institute), who undertook an excavation at Breck (HY33SE 54) during the same period. The aims and objectives of the project were outlined in a partnership agreement between RCAHMS and ORCA, UHI Institute, Orkney College, in April 2015 (RCAHMS Project 1268). Previous visits had been made to the area in May 2013, when an RCAHMS staff member visited Tafts (HY33SE 44) with colleagues from Historic Scotland and Orkney Council, and in August 2014, after poor weather constrained a trip to the island of Swona.

The 2015 trip saw measured survey undertaken at seven farmsteads: North House, Hestivall, Breek, Lower Breek, Cairn, Starling and Knapknowes. Plans of Tafts and of Breck had been created in 2014. All nine of these drawings were subsequently reproduced in Adobe Illustrator and both the original drawings and the digital versions have been catalogued. In addition, a site description was prepared for each, and added to Canmore.

A further 67 individual sites were visited and noted, many of which had been previously noted by Daniel Lee (2008). All 77 site records have been updated in Canmore to reflect an accurate position and a site-area polygon has been created for each. More than 120 digital photographs have been added to the collection. The survey was undertaken by RCAHMS archaeologists John Sherriff and George Geddes, with surveyor Alison McCaig and PhD student Kimberley Noble.

Information from HES Survey and Recording (GFG) 6 September 2018.