Shapinsay, Lady's Kirk

HY 4707 1643 A gradiometer survey was carried out on 30 May 2011 in advance of the drilling of a water borehole. The area was considered sensitive as the pasture field, close to Balfour Castle Estate, is thought to contain a chapel known as Lady’s Kirk. The survey, which was undertaken on a 1ha block centred on the borehole and a 40 x 100m corridor access route, did not locate any obvious anomalies corresponding to the Kirk. However, two parallel responses, 5m long and 11m apart, were considered to be of archaeological interest and the borehole was relocated to an area containing very few magnetic responses.

Archive: ORCA Geophysics

Funder: Scottish Water

ORCA Geophysics, 2011

Scottish Water Ltd. commissioned ORCA to undertake an excavation in Shapinsay, following the discovery of human remains and associated archaeological features on a watching brief. The site was located in the south west of the island of Shapinsay, Orkney, and is centred on NGR HY47025 16421. The excavation revealed what is likely to be the graveyard and boundary ditch of Lady's Kirk Chapel, which was known to be present in the vicinity. No structural remains were encountered of the chapel. A total of 10 machine truncated burials were excavated on the site. Two of the graves probably represent multiple inhumations, both of which contained an adult and a neonatal / infant burial interred together. Three further machine truncated burials were left in situ as they were overlain by undisturbed inhumations. Seven burials were identified which had not been affected by the development, and a further six probable grave cuts were identified. All of the burials (except one neonatal individual) were aligned broadly west to east, with the head at the west end of the grave, and were supine. The bone preservation was relatively good on the site, and none of the burials had grave goods present. There was no evidence of coffins within the graves, but a significant proportion of the inhumations had associated structural features. The alignment of the skeletons, lack of grave goods, typological dating and archaeological evidence for the site strongly suggests that these inhumations are Christian, and date to the medieval period.

Information from Oasis (orkneyre1-135461) 10 June 2013

HY 47114 16481, HY 47179 16556 and HY 47948 16627 A watching brief was carried out 9 March – 18 June 2012 during the excavation of a water pipeline and associated pits on the Balfour Castle Estate and Elwick Bay. The work consisted of a 150m stretch of pipeline, running NE from the shore line (HY 47114 16481), two test pits (HY 47179 16556 and HY 47152 16523), two trenches (HY 4721 1661 and HY 4718 1652), and an 80m stretch of pipeline running along the SW coastline (HY 47948 16627). The work uncovered evidence of a graveyard (see entry above).

Archive: RCAHMS

Funder: Scottish Water

Dave McNicol, ORCA

Samuel Voke, 2012

OASIS Id: orkneyre1-130278