Sanday, West Thrave

In Sanday are 3 farms all called Trave. I had long

believed that this was the same name [Treb] but this summer I had

a striking proof of the fact. In Burness the Treb runs NW past

the house of Neager and for a space is lost in the huge

artificial mound called Gorn ... This is gard-in, the garth.

This originally meant a dyke or wall or enclosure and later

acquired the sense of farm or settlement. The house Neager is

simply Ny-gard, new garth. On the NW side of the mound we pick

up the treb again and a few yards further on we come to the house

of West Trave actually built on top of the Treb itself.

[R1], OR 374.

The farm buildings of West Thrave indeed appear to be

exactly aligned on the Treb which is visible from their SE end at

6668 4463 running NW-SE across farm garden then into rough

pasture field where the treb, 3m wide and 0.6m high, becomes lost

in the Braes of Gorn. On the far side it reappears and can be

traced to the stream at 6689 4447. The now demolished house of

Neager (now replaced by modern bungalow) was at HY 6694 4444 and

no trace of the treb is visible on this side of the stream. It

is not clear whether the farm of East Thrave at HY 6785 4444 was

associated with this treb dyke or another one.

Information from Orkney SMR (RGL) Sep 79.

West Thrave, Sanday HY 6668 4463 to 6689 4447 HY64SE

Substantial linear earthwork still traceable from the farm of West Thrave through the settlement complex of Braes of Gorn to a position near Neagar.

RCAHMS 1980

(Marwick 1923a, 22; OR 375)