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.
Upcoming Maintenance
Please be advised that this website will undergo scheduled maintenance on the following dates:
Thursday, 9 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday, 23 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday, 30 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
During these times, some functionality such as image purchasing may be temporarily unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Papa Westray, Newbigging
Burnt Mound(S) (Prehistoric)
Site Name Papa Westray, Newbigging
Classification Burnt Mound(S) (Prehistoric)
Canmore ID 2913
Site Number HY45SE 7
NGR HY 49139 53340
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/2913
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Papa Westray
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
HY45SE 7 4913 5334.
(Area: HY 491 533) Three mounds of burnt stones lie a short distance from the shore at a point marked 'The Kirns' on the OS Map.
RCAHMS 1946, visited 13 July 1928.
Desk Based Assessment (28 April 1970)
(Area: HY 491 533) Three mounds of burnt stones lie a short distance from the shore at a point marked 'The Kirns' on the OS Map.
Information from OS (EMS) 28 April 1970.
Source: RCAHMS 1946, visited 13 July 1928.
Field Visit (1 July 1970)
These mounds (A-C) are situated at HY 4915 5336 'A' is 2.4m high, B is 1.1m. high, and C is 1.4m high. Mounds B and C are probably parts of a single mound which has had its E arc removed.
Surveyed at 1/2500
Visited by OS (NKB) 1 July 1970.
Field Visit (June 1982)
below Newbigging HY 4913 5334 HY45SE 7
On grassland above the shore 250m WSW of Newbigging is a cluster of three mounds, the largest of which is 2.5m high. They appear to have been quarried, and may represent the scattered remains of two mounds or indeed a single one. Nothing is visible of their content, but there is no reason to doubt earlier reports that they are burnt mounds.
RCAHMS 1983, visited June 1982.
(RCAHMS Notebook, Orkney, No. 2, 13 July 1928; RCA MS 1946, ii, p. 185, No. 532; OR 792).
Field Visit (1998)
Three burnt mounds cluster together on a grassland close to the coast edge. Their proximaty suggests that they form part of a single complex. They are arranged in such a fashion as to enclose an area of level ground, measuring 15m by 22m. It may, in fact, be erroneous to differentiate between sites (i) and (ii), since they may represent the two peaks of a single mound that has been reduced by farming. Previous records suggest that the site has been damaged by quarrying, and while this may be the case, what remains is substantial and apparently forms a complex of an unusual type. It is possible that the area 'enclosed' by the mounds contained an associated working area or structure. This should be investigated through assessment soon, since the site is vulnerable not only to coastal erosion but also to animal poaching.
(i) The largest mound, measuring 20m in diameter, has occasional exposures around its circuit in which burnt stones can be seen. There is a slight depression near to the top of this mound and it appears to have been disturbed or quarried in the past. It stands up to 2.4m high.
(ii) This mound has a diameter of 14m and stands up to 1.8m high. The top is uneven and slightly hollowed. It is connected to (iii) by a 'saddle'.
(iii) Measuring 12m in diameter, this mound stand up to 2m high. The surface has been partially denuded by animal poaching.
Moore and Wilson, 1998
Coastal Zone Assessment Survey
