Orkney Smr Note

Date September 1986

Event ID 619525

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Orkney Smr Note

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/619525

The largest (B on plan) was excavated with a deep cut through

it by Simison in 1985, exposing a composition of large rough slabs

placed in slanting fashion about a central cist, the cairn having

apparently been constructed outwards from the cist. The cist is

made of four rough slabs and contained only some burnt bone

fragments. According to Simison some of this material was taken

for C14 dating by Prof. Renfrew in 1985. The cairn has a neat

outer face of coursed, horizontally-laid masonry, surviving on

average 3 courses high. The thickness of the cairn material at

centre of the mound is 1.4m measured from the bottom of the cist,

which is only very slightly sunk into what appears to be original

ground level. The cairn is formed on a layer of clay which

possibly represents remains of an old soil. It appears that the

cairn pre-dates the formation of the surrounding peat.

The other excavated cairn, C on plan, is low and flat-

topped. The excavation has exposed its complete perimeter of

coursed masonry. At some earlier time, it appears that a small

near-square trench has been cut rather S of the centre of this

cairn; this now appears as a grass-grown hollow.

The other cairns appear as rough grass-covered mounds. A,

immediately E of the large excavated cairn B, E to the W, and

F which lies apart, 70m W of B, are approximately circular.

A is 9m dia, 0.6m high; E 9m dia, 0.4m high; F 7m dia, 0.3m

high. The tops of A and E are slightly hollowed. Between B

and E lies D which is shapeless and appears to have been

damaged. A low knoll between D and E, appearing

superficially like another cairn, seems to be due to rock-outcrop.

The Easternmost three cairns A, B, C, lie on the edge of the

drift cap, with the land falling away steeply from their S sides

towards the cliffedge. Further W cairns E and F lie further

back from the cliff, with a vestige of an old dyke, appearing as a

low bank, running along the cliff-edge. Some small green knolls W

from F may possibly be other cairns, although they are difficult

to distinguish from natural peat formations.

Information from Orkney SMR (RGL, BS) Sept 1986.