Hoy, Rackwick
School (Period Unassigned), Township (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Hoy, Rackwick
Classification School (Period Unassigned), Township (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 182459
Site Number ND29NW 3
NGR ND 2000 9930
NGR Description Centred ND 2000 9930
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/182459
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Hoy And Graemsay
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
Site on and ND19NE.
See also -
'A hamlet consisting of about 16 dwelling houses and occupied by fishermen, is a good good fishing station for lobyster...'
Name Book 1882.
A township, comprising forty-nine roofed buildings, one of which is annotated 'School', three partially roofed buildings and six unroofed buildings is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Orkney and Shetland (Orkney) 1882, sheets cxi and cxii), but it is not shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 maps (1971) and (1972).
Information from RCAHMS (AKK) 28 November 2000.
EXTERNAL REFERENCE
National Library of Scotland - Country Life, 15 July 1939 - photographs of crofts, p43.
Ground Survey (2 June 2014 - 4 July 2014)
ND 20000 99500 The latest season of fieldwork, 2 June – 4 July 2014, focused on Rackwick. A walkover survey was undertaken to record all sites (prehistoric to modern) including less tangible places relating to folk stories. A relational approach, where the meaning of things/places is changing and always context dependent, was employed. This may be seen to operate at various scales: township, farmhouse or object. An overarching theme for the survey was to explore the perception and iconography of Rackwick within contemporary Orcadian society. Surprisingly a systematic survey has never been undertaken within the township.
Most of the 159 sites recorded were post-medieval or modern: armsteads, enclosures, lynchets, planticrues, walls, banks, cairns, nousts, WW2 sites, tracks, telecommunications, fire pits, fish farm, modern activity areas and structures.
No conclusive prehistoric sites were found, and none have previously been noted, although two square earthworks with segmented external banks on the eastern side of the burn are similar to those found at Groups, Braebuster, and could be Pictish square barrows (Site R10, ND29NW 5). Further investigation is required. Deep improved soils and lynchets were noted on the western side of the township, which, along with place name evidence and early maps, suggests that the early post-medieval (perhaps late medieval) township originated on the western side between Scar (R46) and Crowsnest (R36) Farmsteads.
Archive: ORCA
Funder: Orkney Islands Council, Orkney Archaeology Society and ORCA
Daniel Lee – ORCA
