Skaill

HY21NW 30.01 2292 1877

See also HY21NW 12.00

The wall is a metre tall, dry-stone built with more than seven courses and double-faced. It is at an oblique angle to the eroding cliff face so its width was difficult to assess; but it seemed less wide than tall. It was not visible in 1976. It appears to sit just above till, and it and tumble from it are contained largely within a thick brown layer of reddish brown previuosly identified by the then Orkney archaeologist Dr R Lamb, as similar to the soil in the Neolithic layers at Pool, Sanday and likely to contain Neolithic structures. It seems to be based at a similar level to the structures excavated near Skara Brae by Dr D V Clarke (HY21NW 12.00) (Clarke 1977) and the butchery floor excavated by Dr C Richards in 1994 (HY21NW 12.02) (Richards 1994) although its distance from them and intervening disturbances prevent a stratigraphic link. The reddish brown layer and the wall probably date to the 4th or 3rd millenium BC.

Information from Mr P Ashmore, Historic Scotland (letter to RCAHMS 24 July 1997)

HY 2292 1877 The wall is 1m tall, drystone-built with more than seven courses, and double faced. It is at an oblique angle to the eroding cliff face so its width was difficult to assess; but it seemed less wide than tall. It was not visible in 1976. It appears to sit just above till, and it and tumble from it are contained largely within a thick reddish brown deposit previously identified by Dr R Lamb as similar to the soil in the Neolithic layers at Pool, Sanday, and likely to contain Neolithic structures. It seems to be based at a similar level to the structures excavated near Skara Brae by Dr D V Clarke in 1977 (DES 1977, 24) and the butchery floor excavated by Dr C Richards in 1994 (DES 1994, 92), although its distance from them and intervening disturbances prevent a stratigraphic link. The reddish brown layer and the wall probably date to the 4th or 3rd millennium BC.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

P J Ashmore 1997

HY 2292 1877 Geophysical survey and rescue excavation were undertaken to investigate the remains of a ruined wall and associated midden eroding out of an exposed cliff section on the S side of Skaill Bay. It was revealed that the wall represented the back or end of a structure which had had clearance stones thrown up against it some time after it had collapsed. No evidence was recovered for human or animal habitation nor for the structure being utilised for agricultural purposes. A small number of non-diagnostic artefacts were recovered from the excavation, none from secure contexts.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

B Simpson and B Ballin-Smith 1998