Archaeology Notes

Event ID 712738

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/712738

HY22NW 6 24803 27775

(HY 2480 2775) Earl's Palace (NR) (In Ruins)

OS 6" map, Orkney, 2nd ed., (1900).

The remains of the 'palace' of the Earls of Orkney, built between 1574 and the end of the 16th century. The masonry throughout is of rubble, with pinnings, set in clay or lime-mortar. The building was occupied until the mid-17th century and thereafter was allowed to fall into ruin.

RCAHMS 1946.

Earl's Palace, as described.

Visited by OS (RL) 25 May 1967.

Excavation has taken place in all the rooms of the palace, excluding the N range, to remove topsoil and turf in order to redisplay the monument. Turf from the wall tops has also been removed. Few 17th century finds or contexts have been encountered. In some rooms destruction debris and fragmentary roof slates survived recent clearance and levelling. The original stone floors of the W and S wings have survived in various states of preservation but the floors of the E wing are now mainly earth, clay and mortar. Floors, doorways, fireplaces and windows reflect the status of rooms and or ranges and complement the contemporary documentation.

Sponsor: SDD HBM.

B Smith 1989a; 1989b.

HY 248 277 Archaeological monitoring was undertaken of a service trench. The monument (NMRS HY22NW 6) takes the form of a rectangular block, orientated N-S, with a central courtyard surrounded by ranges, now roofless shells, with towers projecting from all but the NW corner.

The hand-dug trench was to carry electricity between the two towers projecting S from the S facade of the palace, both of which are still roofed. The only archaeological feature noted in the trench was an 800mm wide stretch of drystone walling, not excavated, but apparently reduced to a single course. Although the trench was very narrow, the wall could be seen to be built of sandstone blocks, and had a good E face, but a poorly preserved W one. It lay 200mm below modern ground level. This wall ran N-S: the same orientation as the E wall of the SW tower, although set slightly back (to the W of its line). This was not removed, and the electricity cable was to run over it. The monument was used as farm outbuildings in the recent past, and a drystone dyke might fit with such a use.

There was a lack of dateable finds from the excavation, but the wall seems likely to post-date the construction of the SW tower. The layer overlying this wall contained sandstone fragments and some mortar, which may represent material fallen from the decaying palace.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

P Sharman 2000

'The Orcadian' in 1903 described that the grave of St Magnus was in the floor of the church, after the body had been removed from Gairsay to the Earl's Palace.

M Howe 2006.