Castle Howe

‘Tubby’ Clayton's Castle.

'The Rev. P. B. Clayton - Tubby to the Toc H. members - and Mr J. Storer Clouston, who wrote ‘The Lunatic at Large’, have unearthed a castle in Orkney where Mr Storer Clouston is a considerable laird, says ‘Quex’, in the ‘News Chronicle’. He and Mr Clayton came upon some promising ruins at Castle Howe, in Holm, at the south end of Pomona, and naturally, as ‘Tubby’ has been ordered north for a rest cure, they began excavating at once. In the hope that they were on the track of a Pictish broch they dug into a mound to be disappointed with ‘a medieval ring’. That is how Mr Storer Clouston puts it'.

Orkney Herald, and Weekly Advertiser and Gazette for the Orkney & Zetland Islands (3 September 1930, p.4).

Close to the beach, a little over a quarter of a mile to S.E. of the parish church of Holm and about the same distance S.W. of the farm of Lower Breckquoy, a mound covering remains of masonry was opened a few years ago. The excavation exposed dry-built walls enclosing two chambers, one above the other, obviously belonging to different periods.

The lower and earlier of the two (Fig. 428),which seems to be of prehistoric construction, is irregularly oval on plan, measuring approximately 14 ft. from E. to W. by 9 ft. from N. to S. Its walls still survive to a height of 5 ft. 3 in., and their inner faces, which alone are visible, show a pronounced batter. On the S.E. a flight of six rough steps leads down to the floor-level, and the prolongation of the S. wall as far as the head of these, along with a return of the wall immediately N. of them, suggests that the stair may be original. Most of the portion of the chamber N. of the steps has been cut off by a stone slab set on edge. This slab does not quite reach the N. wall, but beyond it a saddle quern has been set up to form an upright, while two other uprights farther E. may have been supports for a covering-slab, which could easily have rested partly on them and partly on a ledge constructed on the N. wall. There has been an opening in the E. end of the chamber; but, as is indicated by a race-bond rising the whole height of the S. wall, this has subsequently been filled in, no doubt during the erection of the upper building, which appears to have incorporated the chamber below. The original structure has certain points of resemblance to that excavated at Westness, Rousay (No. 580).

The upper building, which lies E. and W., is rectangular on plan, measuring some 32 ft. in length by 26 ft. in width, over walls which are from 6 to 7 ft. thick and are particularly rough and irregular on the outside. They have been tidied up and heightened in the process of excavation, but the few courses of original masonry that remain display a character differing from that of the building below; the courses of rubble are deeper and the stones used are more rounded. The only opening is a rough entrance in the W. wall. It has been rebuilt, but at present it is 3 ft. wide outside, increasing to 7 ft. wide inside, and there are three downward steps in its course. The inside of the E. wall has been recessed to a depth of4 ft. towards its S. end. The age of this later structure is quite uncertain.

RCAHMS 1946, visited 12 July 1933.

OS 6” map (1903)

Surveyed to produce plans of the upper and lower levels exposed in excavation, and a sketch section. Redrawn in ink and published at a reduced scale (RCAHMS 1946, fig. 154).

Recently discovered castle-square keep, its masonry showing traces of lime mortar, on a stone motte the nucleus of which is an earlier building. [R1]

Perhaps built by Hakon the Elder. [R2]

Recent excavations exposed two chambers, superimposed lower and earlier is prehistoric, irregular, walls of which only inner faces visible, are 5ft 3in high and have pronounced batter. Six steps down in SE corner. Opening at E end, blocked, presumably during building of upper structure which is rectangular, 32 x

26ft ext., wall thickness 6-7ft. Entrance in W wall. Inside of E wall recessed near S end. Age uncertain. [R3]

Domestic structure on top of mound excavated 1929-31 by Rev P B Clayton who erected a protective wall around it.

Generally as described but not all features mentioned by RCAMS now visible. No trace of any circular construction which might be a broch.

OS visit Aug 1964.

Badly deteriorated since OS visit; steps not visible, centre largely rubble-filled, curved wall of lower structure visible only in NW corner. Seems to be interior scarcement on S wall of upper structure. W wall broken down, entrance unclear. Traces of cement repairs to outer wall-face. - Indubitably a Norse castle, possibly related to bu of Papuli. Cf OR 82

Information from Orkney SMR (RGL) May 79.