Eynhallow, Kyarl
Site (Period Unknown)(Possible)
Site Name Eynhallow, Kyarl
Classification Site (Period Unknown)(Possible)
Canmore ID 2185
Site Number HY32NE 33
NGR HY 3640 2946
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/2185
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Rousay And Egilsay
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
HY32NE 33 3640 2946.
At the base of the (modern) cairn named Kyarl is a stone grave about 7 ft long. Slabs set on end form the N and S sides, but those at the head and foot have apparently been washed away.
J Mooney 1949.
These two slabs at HY 3640 2946 appear to be part of the entrance passage to the scant remains of one, possibly two, dry-stone buildings, most of which have been destroyed by sea erosion. Traces of a built curving inner face supplemented with slabs on edge laid amongst storm debris, with a few isolated upright slabs of no intelligible pattern outside to the SE. The buildings would appear to have been domestic and possibly similar to HY32NE 28 and HY32NE 29.
Visited by OS (AA) 16 October 1972.
Field Visit (August 1982)
Kyarl HY 3640 2946 HY32NE 33
Beneath and around the prominent cairn which stands on a cliff edge on the N shore of the island, and largely buried under storm debris, are indications of an extensive and probably well-preserved prehistoric settlement. There are massive slab-structures and exposures of drystone masonry, including a curved wall-face interrupted by a passage; this may be the facade of a heel-shaped house.
RCAHMS 1982, visited August 1982
(Mooney 1949, 32; OR 777)
Change Of Classification (13 August 2015)
The eroding coastal edge immediately W of the cairn at Kyarl (HY32NE 105) is a jumble of slabs continually moved by storm action. While there are occasional edge-set stones, which may represent the remains of structures, none can be identified with confidence as the grave, the drystone buildings or the settlement that have been noted in the past at this location (Mooney 1923, 32; OS 1972; RCAHMS 1982, 29).
Visited by RCAHMS (GFG) 13 August 2015
Moore and Thomas 2008, Site 15
