Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Rousay, Trumland
Barrow (Early Bronze Age), Cist(S) (Early Bronze Age), Cremation(S) (Early Bronze Age), Cinerary Vessel (Steatite)(Early Bronze Age), Unidentified Pottery (Pottery)(Early Bronze Age)
Site Name Rousay, Trumland
Classification Barrow (Early Bronze Age), Cist(S) (Early Bronze Age), Cremation(S) (Early Bronze Age), Cinerary Vessel (Steatite)(Early Bronze Age), Unidentified Pottery (Pottery)(Early Bronze Age)
Canmore ID 2624
Site Number HY42NW 10
NGR HY 4246 2742
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/2624
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Rousay And Egilsay
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
HY42NW 10 4246 2742.
A mound, situated on Trumland Home Farm, about 10 yds E of the wall which separates that property from the adjoining holding of Nears, was excavated by Mr W G Grant, the proprietor in 1933. Before excavation it was a grassy earthen mound, 4 ft 6 ins high, with here and there slabs of stone showing through the turf. Excavation disclosed a symmetrical wall of well-built slabs, laid on bed in three to six courses and varying in height from 8 to 12 ins enclosing a circular space, 20ft 8 ins N-S by 20 ft 10ins E-W within which, and not far from the centre, were three cists, the primary cist being at a lower level than the others. The primary cist was 12ins square by 9ins deep, the few slabs and cover being less than 1in thick. It contained cremated human bones and a small fragment of pottery. The other two cists were slightly larger, one contained only soil, the other cremated human bones, burnt matter and fragments of a steatite urn, other parts of which were found outside the cist at its SE corner. Beyond the E side of the mound's perimeter lay a fourth cist, 2ft by 1 ft 6ins by 8 ins deep. It was completely filled with burnt material, possibly a fire-box rather than a burial cist.
RCAHMS 1946; J H Craw 1934
Situated at NY 4246 2742 and now visible as a turf-covered mound 7.0m in diameter and 0.6m high. There is no sign of the cists. According to Mr J Yorstan, of Trumland Cottages, Rousay, who dug the mound for Grant, the central cist was two-tiered.
Surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS(ISS) 8 October 1972.
Orkney Smr Note (September 1980)
Before excavation by Grant in 1932 was a grassy earthen
mound 4ft 6in high with slabs showing here and there. Three
cists - one primary - revealed by excavation, a fourth cist lay
just beyond perimeter of mound. After excavation the mound was
restored to its pristine state. [R1], [R2]
Now visible as a turfed mound 7m diameter 0.6m high, no sign
of cists. According to J Yorston who did the excavation for
Grant, the central cist was two-tiered.
J Yorston, gamekeeper, Trumland, OS visit Oct 72.
As described.
Information from Orkney SMR (RGL) Sep 80.
Note (1982)
Trumland farm HY 4246 2742 HY42NW 10
A mound, now grass covered, in which cists were excavated by Grant.
RCAHMS 1982
(RCAHMS 1982, September 1980 Craw 1934; RCAMS 1946, ii, pp. 209-10, No. 571; OR 560)
Field Visit (26 April 1994)
This bowl-shaped mound was recorded as part of the Orkney Barrows Project. Measuring 7.0m in diameter and 0.6m in height, it is not in a particularly prominent position but is visible for some 500m to the S.
Information from the Orkney Barrows Project (JD), 1994
Note (2020)
Trumland
This burial site in Orkney Islands was a focus for funerary practices in the Bronze Age period, between 2200 BC and 1501 BC.
Prehistoric Grave Goods project site ID: 60164
CANMORE ID: 2624
Total no. graves with grave goods: 2
Total no. people with grave goods: 2
Total no. grave goods: 2
Prehistoric Grave Goods project Grave ID: 60057
Grave type: Cist
Burial type(s): Cremation
Grave good: Vessel (Unknown/Unspecified)
Materials used: Steatite
Current museum location: National Museum of Scotland
Museum accession no.: X.EQ 535
Prehistoric Grave Goods project Grave ID: 72374
Grave type: Cist
Burial type(s): Cremation
Grave good: Pot (Unknown/Unspecified)
Materials used: Pottery
Current museum location: Unknown
Further details, the full project database and downloads of project publications can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5284/1052206
An accessible visualisation of the database can be found here: http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/grave-goods/map/
