Rousay, Westness
Inhumation(S) (Viking), Brooch (Viking)
Site Name Rousay, Westness
Classification Inhumation(S) (Viking), Brooch (Viking)
Canmore ID 2197
Site Number HY32NE 44
NGR HY 382 289
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/2197
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Rousay And Egilsay
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
HY32NE 44 382 289.
On 26 October 1963 some human bones, 2 Norse oval brooches, a rectangular plaque of bronze and a Celtic brooch were found at the farm of Westness, Rousay, when a hole was dug to bury a cow. From 4-7 November, A S Henshall, NMAS, recovered the remains of a completely destroyed grave probably built of horizontally-laid slabs. The grave was that of a woman and full-term infant. Adult bones had also been recovered from a disturbed grave 3m away. The whole find is now in the National Museum of Scotland (NMS, IL 728-41).
R B K Stevenson 1990.
(Seen by Kaland as an element of the Viking cemetery HY32NE 7). The first Viking grave was found in 1963 and its form was not recorded but it contained the inhumation of a young woman with her new-born child accompanied by two oval brooches, a silver-gilt ringed pin (of 8th-century type), beads, a weaving batten, bronze straps, the remains of a bronze bowl and a pair of wool combs.
S H H Kaland 1993.
Orkney Smr Note
A plain on the shore, about a quarter of a mile to the west
of this place [Westness House], has on it immense piles of
stones, evidently the ruins of some ancient structure, around
which are to be seen graves formed with slabs set on edge, as in
some other places; and the name of Swandrow, which it bears,
points it out with probability as the scene of the capture of
Earl Paul, by Swein the son of Asleif... [R1]
The structures seen by Barry could have been graves, in
which case they could be connected with the Norse burial finds
from this general area, but may have been slab-structures
associated with the prehistoric settlement at (Know of) Swandro.
It is less likely that the burials at Moaness are meant, unless
Barry was thinking of a wide area.
OR 546-7; OR 549.
Information from Orkney SMR [n.d.]
