Tuesday, April 26, 2011
ELLIAR HOLM, SHAPINSAY
Jo Ben called Helliar Holm by the name Eleorholm and it has been known by several variations of these, such as Ellyar Holm and Elhardholm. The intrusive modern haitch is from some outsider thinking this comes from halye 'flat rock' but it is named after the same person as Elwick over the way on Shapinsay itself. The personal name is thought to be something along the lines of Ellend/Elland, but I myself wonder about Erlend. Though it is said you can still walk from Shapinsay to Helliar Holm at low tide you would need to know the local tides well. Though it is accessible by boat this is now a reserve, and permission should be sought.
On the 1882 25" O.S. several structures are shown to the NW above the cliffs between Whitstanes and the north pier. The largest appears on the 6" too, but not on its modern replacement (this is the unroofed structure HY41NE 42 at HY48231581) despite being still visible. Between it and the lochan is a structure the same length but narrower (this is a perfect ellipse on the 25" but very irregular, even vaguely rectangular, on the 6"). Then east of the lochan, south of the pier, are two slightly smaller structures. The 25" shows (west to east) an ellipse and a rectangle like Whitestanes. This last has sides more nearly equal, and indeed is shown outright square on the 6". They are all within easy walk of the chalybeate well where the pumphouse is now. Jo Ben mentions drelict house-tofts and rigs as well as the chapel. There is a dike running between the [areas of] the two piers which takes on a more noticeable curve near these sites. Perhaps it is this dyke that led Countrywoman to mention that there had been a monastery on Helliar Holm. On the opposite side of the holm there is a low cairn against the storm-beach. South of this is a sheepfold and the traditional site of the chapel - Kirk Geo is offshore. Here there is now only rough grass, and some believe that the chapel remains are the Broch Age structure close by (the 'fort' a possible broch now generalised to some kind of round house). However it has been suggested that this had been turned into the sheepfold (such as happened to one of the Buckquoy sites in Birsay), which sits on a rise. Or it is simply too thoroughly overgrown. Helliar Holm's southern tip is called Saeva Ness. As Saevar means sea-mound was there once one here, long gone before even the time of Jo Ben, a howe [at the head of the Geo of Saevaness perhaps]. Could it even be that when the Vikings first came to Orkney this islet had a more permanent connection to Shapinsay and that they applied the name Saevar Ness, for the surviving chambered cairn, to what we now call Helliar Holm ? Makes sense to me.
The storm-beach cairn, NMRS record no. HY41NE 23 at HY48541588, is a NW/SE oriented not-quite rectangular structure below the later remains of a kelp-stance. It is some 5m by 3.5m and includes earthfast orthostats. Inland the visible wall thickness is 0.4 metres.
About a hectare is enclosed by the dyke, HY41NE 22, which starts on the shoreline at HY48591578 on a hillside south of a 'drain', then follows a while before coming east and then south before finally turning south-west to meet the north shoreline at
HY48171527. All in all a one hectare space is enclosed. It starts off as a number of sub-peat dykes between parallel edge slabs (these occasionally crossed to give a cist-like feel), then on leaving the drain behind it is covered by turf. Raymond Lamb compares it to a sub-peat dyke on the Mouckle Hill of Linkataing in Eday, which also encloses a roundhouse and a chambered cairn but is now seen as part of a prehistoric field system.
No dedication is known for the chapel, HY41NE 3 at HY48141539, which is recorded as Kirk Goe [a variant of geo]. Could it have been lost to the sea like many another coastal site ? Its linking by some with the ?broch arises from the latter's upright slabs being taken for gravestones (I am minded of the Covenanter's Graves opposite The Brough on the north-east side of Tankereness).
The possible broch near the traditional chapel site is thought too slight to be a proper broch. Locals termed it a fort (not a brough/broch), and indeed one suggestion is that this is a blockhouse (with dwelling), one of the earliest forms of fortified gun emplacement (similarly North Taing outside Kirkwall is reported by the farmer to have been used as a Great War gun emplacement). The other suggestion is that this is a 'semi-broch', which has also been said of North Taing on the nearby Head of Holland [the fields here are full of small stones, but as you near this site you start to come across much larger ones either side of the fence opposite]. This problematic label has been applied to several problematic sites where the visible remains have the shape of a semi-circle or circle segment. However I agree with Dave Lynn that there is no such animal, that these are all incomplete or badly eroded brochs or other roundhouses. To show what can happen to our ideas of what a site was, Riggan of Kami on the east coast of Deerness was first thought a blockhouse and then a 'semi-broch' after partial excavation revealed the remains of a ground-galleried broch. You truly can never make a conclusive identification until you've done the spadework. HY41NE 1 at HY48591579 survives on the landward side under tumble as a two-foot-six high NW arc about ten feet long, indicating an interior roughly twenty-six feet across in which some edge-set slabs project up to 18" (there appears to have been erosion since 1972 as in 1986 these are numerous). The outer face, of a likely 9'6" thick wall, survives best. A yard from the inner face a stabilising wall ends on the north with what is either the corbelled end of a cell or part of an entrance passage. Kitchen midden traces were seen in 1928 but have not been observed since.
Apart from the lighthouse and its [over?] large enclosure the most obvious feature is the tall marker cairn at the highest part of the holm in the SE, sitting on top of a chambered mound. This cairn of large stones, HY41NE 2 at HY48431534, is over an area 66' by 60' and is some 8' high. It covers a NW/SE aligned tomb of Orkney-Cromarty type, resembling Hill of Shebster (ND06SW 5), on its south side and an arc of possible revetment about four foot long is just visible on the east side. Rubble covers this stalled tomb's entrance and where the back slab should be, but the rest of the slabs project above the rubble for 40cm in a central depression. Visible are three-and-a-half pairs of slabs 1.7m apart and a 40cm passage runs between the pairs. Henshall reports the possibilty in the most easterly comparment's south side of the top of drystane walling.
Jo Ben called Helliar Holm by the name Eleorholm and it has been known by several variations of these, such as Ellyar Holm and Elhardholm. The intrusive modern haitch is from some outsider thinking this comes from halye 'flat rock' but it is named after the same person as Elwick over the way on Shapinsay itself. The personal name is thought to be something along the lines of Ellend/Elland, but I myself wonder about Erlend. Though it is said you can still walk from Shapinsay to Helliar Holm at low tide you would need to know the local tides well. Though it is accessible by boat this is now a reserve, and permission should be sought.
On the 1882 25" O.S. several structures are shown to the NW above the cliffs between Whitstanes and the north pier. The largest appears on the 6" too, but not on its modern replacement (this is the unroofed structure HY41NE 42 at HY48231581) despite being still visible. Between it and the lochan is a structure the same length but narrower (this is a perfect ellipse on the 25" but very irregular, even vaguely rectangular, on the 6"). Then east of the lochan, south of the pier, are two slightly smaller structures. The 25" shows (west to east) an ellipse and a rectangle like Whitestanes. This last has sides more nearly equal, and indeed is shown outright square on the 6". They are all within easy walk of the chalybeate well where the pumphouse is now. Jo Ben mentions drelict house-tofts and rigs as well as the chapel. There is a dike running between the [areas of] the two piers which takes on a more noticeable curve near these sites. Perhaps it is this dyke that led Countrywoman to mention that there had been a monastery on Helliar Holm. On the opposite side of the holm there is a low cairn against the storm-beach. South of this is a sheepfold and the traditional site of the chapel - Kirk Geo is offshore. Here there is now only rough grass, and some believe that the chapel remains are the Broch Age structure close by (the 'fort' a possible broch now generalised to some kind of round house). However it has been suggested that this had been turned into the sheepfold (such as happened to one of the Buckquoy sites in Birsay), which sits on a rise. Or it is simply too thoroughly overgrown. Helliar Holm's southern tip is called Saeva Ness. As Saevar means sea-mound was there once one here, long gone before even the time of Jo Ben, a howe [at the head of the Geo of Saevaness perhaps]. Could it even be that when the Vikings first came to Orkney this islet had a more permanent connection to Shapinsay and that they applied the name Saevar Ness, for the surviving chambered cairn, to what we now call Helliar Holm ? Makes sense to me.
The storm-beach cairn, NMRS record no. HY41NE 23 at HY48541588, is a NW/SE oriented not-quite rectangular structure below the later remains of a kelp-stance. It is some 5m by 3.5m and includes earthfast orthostats. Inland the visible wall thickness is 0.4 metres.
About a hectare is enclosed by the dyke, HY41NE 22, which starts on the shoreline at HY48591578 on a hillside south of a 'drain', then follows a while before coming east and then south before finally turning south-west to meet the north shoreline at
HY48171527. All in all a one hectare space is enclosed. It starts off as a number of sub-peat dykes between parallel edge slabs (these occasionally crossed to give a cist-like feel), then on leaving the drain behind it is covered by turf. Raymond Lamb compares it to a sub-peat dyke on the Mouckle Hill of Linkataing in Eday, which also encloses a roundhouse and a chambered cairn but is now seen as part of a prehistoric field system.
No dedication is known for the chapel, HY41NE 3 at HY48141539, which is recorded as Kirk Goe [a variant of geo]. Could it have been lost to the sea like many another coastal site ? Its linking by some with the ?broch arises from the latter's upright slabs being taken for gravestones (I am minded of the Covenanter's Graves opposite The Brough on the north-east side of Tankereness).
The possible broch near the traditional chapel site is thought too slight to be a proper broch. Locals termed it a fort (not a brough/broch), and indeed one suggestion is that this is a blockhouse (with dwelling), one of the earliest forms of fortified gun emplacement (similarly North Taing outside Kirkwall is reported by the farmer to have been used as a Great War gun emplacement). The other suggestion is that this is a 'semi-broch', which has also been said of North Taing on the nearby Head of Holland [the fields here are full of small stones, but as you near this site you start to come across much larger ones either side of the fence opposite]. This problematic label has been applied to several problematic sites where the visible remains have the shape of a semi-circle or circle segment. However I agree with Dave Lynn that there is no such animal, that these are all incomplete or badly eroded brochs or other roundhouses. To show what can happen to our ideas of what a site was, Riggan of Kami on the east coast of Deerness was first thought a blockhouse and then a 'semi-broch' after partial excavation revealed the remains of a ground-galleried broch. You truly can never make a conclusive identification until you've done the spadework. HY41NE 1 at HY48591579 survives on the landward side under tumble as a two-foot-six high NW arc about ten feet long, indicating an interior roughly twenty-six feet across in which some edge-set slabs project up to 18" (there appears to have been erosion since 1972 as in 1986 these are numerous). The outer face, of a likely 9'6" thick wall, survives best. A yard from the inner face a stabilising wall ends on the north with what is either the corbelled end of a cell or part of an entrance passage. Kitchen midden traces were seen in 1928 but have not been observed since.
Apart from the lighthouse and its [over?] large enclosure the most obvious feature is the tall marker cairn at the highest part of the holm in the SE, sitting on top of a chambered mound. This cairn of large stones, HY41NE 2 at HY48431534, is over an area 66' by 60' and is some 8' high. It covers a NW/SE aligned tomb of Orkney-Cromarty type, resembling Hill of Shebster (ND06SW 5), on its south side and an arc of possible revetment about four foot long is just visible on the east side. Rubble covers this stalled tomb's entrance and where the back slab should be, but the rest of the slabs project above the rubble for 40cm in a central depression. Visible are three-and-a-half pairs of slabs 1.7m apart and a 40cm passage runs between the pairs. Henshall reports the possibilty in the most easterly comparment's south side of the top of drystane walling.
Labels: broch, chambered tomb, Eleorholm, Elhardholm, Elliar Holm, Ellyar Holm, Helliar Holm, Whitestanes
Friday, April 15, 2011
Historical geography from Kirkwall to Groundwater.
Using"Old Hearths - Scapa and District" from "The Orkney Herald" 1910 and additional info from Marwick's later "Farm Names" etc.
On the south side of the Bay of Scapa there was a toft called Fingerack a little below and to the north of Gaitnip until roughly 70-80 years before 1910. On the hillside above Scapa pier Clova stood until 1830 about 6 chains below and to the north of Fea [I guess near where the present O.S. shows a well].
Coming out from Kirkwall on the Orphir road where the last house on the right is at the bottom corner of the Corse Farm field there used to be the boundary stone. The 1882 O.S. shows a short track from the road about halfway along the field edge going to a well or wellspring. On the left-hand side of the road just below the first houses outside the town now used to be South Foreland with a pump. The original Crantit was some 100 yards south of the present mansion house.
West of this the Toft lands consisted of Tofts+Warbister+Kingston. Until the roughly 50-60 years before 1910 the original Braehead stood 4 chains east of Newbigging. Newbigging, 5 chains east of Kingston, is now Braehead. Until about 40 years before 1910 Kingston was some 12 chains NE of Instabilie, which until about 20 years before that stood 10 chains north-west of the gate dividing the Warbister and Orquil lands. The original Tofts was between Tofts and Scapa road, Tofts becoming Tofts Cottage and
then Glenair. Warbister (aka Warbuster) was at the north side of Orquil road above Tofts.
Below the western slopes of Wideford Hill [Whyteford according to locals in the early 20th century] below Smerquoy on the north side of the Old Finstown Road a little green indentation (or hollow) in 1910 is the site of "Jack Stove's house". Until about 40 years before 1910 an unnamed croft on the east side of Caldale stood where Caldale 'marched with' the lands of Orquil. Neuk [Nook on the 1882 O.S.] lay on the extreme east of Caldale estate adjoining the Orquil lands, with Spots a few chains to its southeast. The original Orquil is now Peedie Orquil, and the flat meadow below is the Ba' Green of Orquil. Until about roughly 60 years before 1910 Ferrowell stood about 10 chains north of the new steading of Orquil [the cottage or the farm, presumably the latter] with an unnamed steading some 4 chains to the north of Ferrowell. In about 1840 Borwick croft was destroyed. Its location is given as about 12 chains north of the Upper Bridge of Orquil and some 2 chains north of the spring that feeds the Borwick tributary of the Burn of Orquil.
Between the Crantit estate and the Orquil lands is the Knarston tunship. The present Lingro [stony burn ?] was rebuilt roughly 80-90 years before 1910 on almost the same spot as its predecessor, and a short distance west of the barn is the site of the Goosepow of Knarston [pow meaning pool or pond]. Until about 75 years before 1910 Upper Knarston could be seen a few chains NW of Lingrow [the big mound with a huge chunk out of the side bordering the broad track to the sea. Visible until about 70 years before 1910 about 10 to 12 chains W of Lingro was Lower Knarston [north of the farmtrack to Glenlee a slighly marshy area or shallow pond now].
Over the other side of the Burn of Cott the original Dyke-end lay between present Dyke-end (Park until about 1860) and the lower Cotland burn. Until about 40 years before 1910 the Waterslap homestead stood midway between Cotland and the burnmouth to the southwest, with Waterback croft adjioning and S of it. Between Roeberry and Burn of Cotland had stood Midhouse croft. At one time Chinglebraes was an early pub. Blackhill lay above it.
Old Hearth gives the names of the points & cliffs & gios [sic] from Waulkmill Bay to Scapa as; Hat, Feelybout, Vam, Starabo, Rue, Marrigoe, Spindle, Tonguesgoe, Langpool, Coneysgoe, Hole o' Row, Barrel o' Brough, Nabi, Hellia, Hestigoe (the site of Orphir's Horse Rock, take track down from Foveran), Brackan Nevi, Whaligoe. The 'Vam' burn in southern Hobbister has to its east the three 'lochs of Gruffkill' - the middle one, called 'Loomi-shun', is oddly round. Now disappeared crofts in the area from some 2½ miles southwest to the Hobbister district are given as Hodgae, Kitmaillie, Skaill [?Skaith, which was upstream of Waulkmill beach], Muckle-ha, Little-ga, Gerston, Heathermuir, Uppertown [still a placename], Quoys, South-heather, Tweentoons, Twartquoy [still a placename], Little Twartquoy. The big burn draining the valley to north of Hobbister is divided into four parts called Copligae, Caldalittle, Heerili, Hodgae.
An old cart road ran overhill from Groundwater in Orphir to the Walliwall quarry outside Kirkwall. This was divided into three parts, called Kirkgate and Ginnerygate and Cartigate. The last crosses a piece of burn marking the boundary of the Caldale and Orquil lands [the Upper Bridge of Orquil is the triple boundary of Caldale, Orquil and IIRC Tofts (or ?Warbister). Is it this ?].
Using"Old Hearths - Scapa and District" from "The Orkney Herald" 1910 and additional info from Marwick's later "Farm Names" etc.
On the south side of the Bay of Scapa there was a toft called Fingerack a little below and to the north of Gaitnip until roughly 70-80 years before 1910. On the hillside above Scapa pier Clova stood until 1830 about 6 chains below and to the north of Fea [I guess near where the present O.S. shows a well].
Coming out from Kirkwall on the Orphir road where the last house on the right is at the bottom corner of the Corse Farm field there used to be the boundary stone. The 1882 O.S. shows a short track from the road about halfway along the field edge going to a well or wellspring. On the left-hand side of the road just below the first houses outside the town now used to be South Foreland with a pump. The original Crantit was some 100 yards south of the present mansion house.
West of this the Toft lands consisted of Tofts+Warbister+Kingston. Until the roughly 50-60 years before 1910 the original Braehead stood 4 chains east of Newbigging. Newbigging, 5 chains east of Kingston, is now Braehead. Until about 40 years before 1910 Kingston was some 12 chains NE of Instabilie, which until about 20 years before that stood 10 chains north-west of the gate dividing the Warbister and Orquil lands. The original Tofts was between Tofts and Scapa road, Tofts becoming Tofts Cottage and
then Glenair. Warbister (aka Warbuster) was at the north side of Orquil road above Tofts.
Below the western slopes of Wideford Hill [Whyteford according to locals in the early 20th century] below Smerquoy on the north side of the Old Finstown Road a little green indentation (or hollow) in 1910 is the site of "Jack Stove's house". Until about 40 years before 1910 an unnamed croft on the east side of Caldale stood where Caldale 'marched with' the lands of Orquil. Neuk [Nook on the 1882 O.S.] lay on the extreme east of Caldale estate adjoining the Orquil lands, with Spots a few chains to its southeast. The original Orquil is now Peedie Orquil, and the flat meadow below is the Ba' Green of Orquil. Until about roughly 60 years before 1910 Ferrowell stood about 10 chains north of the new steading of Orquil [the cottage or the farm, presumably the latter] with an unnamed steading some 4 chains to the north of Ferrowell. In about 1840 Borwick croft was destroyed. Its location is given as about 12 chains north of the Upper Bridge of Orquil and some 2 chains north of the spring that feeds the Borwick tributary of the Burn of Orquil.
Between the Crantit estate and the Orquil lands is the Knarston tunship. The present Lingro [stony burn ?] was rebuilt roughly 80-90 years before 1910 on almost the same spot as its predecessor, and a short distance west of the barn is the site of the Goosepow of Knarston [pow meaning pool or pond]. Until about 75 years before 1910 Upper Knarston could be seen a few chains NW of Lingrow [the big mound with a huge chunk out of the side bordering the broad track to the sea. Visible until about 70 years before 1910 about 10 to 12 chains W of Lingro was Lower Knarston [north of the farmtrack to Glenlee a slighly marshy area or shallow pond now].
Over the other side of the Burn of Cott the original Dyke-end lay between present Dyke-end (Park until about 1860) and the lower Cotland burn. Until about 40 years before 1910 the Waterslap homestead stood midway between Cotland and the burnmouth to the southwest, with Waterback croft adjioning and S of it. Between Roeberry and Burn of Cotland had stood Midhouse croft. At one time Chinglebraes was an early pub. Blackhill lay above it.
Old Hearth gives the names of the points & cliffs & gios [sic] from Waulkmill Bay to Scapa as; Hat, Feelybout, Vam, Starabo, Rue, Marrigoe, Spindle, Tonguesgoe, Langpool, Coneysgoe, Hole o' Row, Barrel o' Brough, Nabi, Hellia, Hestigoe (the site of Orphir's Horse Rock, take track down from Foveran), Brackan Nevi, Whaligoe. The 'Vam' burn in southern Hobbister has to its east the three 'lochs of Gruffkill' - the middle one, called 'Loomi-shun', is oddly round. Now disappeared crofts in the area from some 2½ miles southwest to the Hobbister district are given as Hodgae, Kitmaillie, Skaill [?Skaith, which was upstream of Waulkmill beach], Muckle-ha, Little-ga, Gerston, Heathermuir, Uppertown [still a placename], Quoys, South-heather, Tweentoons, Twartquoy [still a placename], Little Twartquoy. The big burn draining the valley to north of Hobbister is divided into four parts called Copligae, Caldalittle, Heerili, Hodgae.
An old cart road ran overhill from Groundwater in Orphir to the Walliwall quarry outside Kirkwall. This was divided into three parts, called Kirkgate and Ginnerygate and Cartigate. The last crosses a piece of burn marking the boundary of the Caldale and Orquil lands [the Upper Bridge of Orquil is the triple boundary of Caldale, Orquil and IIRC Tofts (or ?Warbister). Is it this ?].
Labels: Caldale, cart road, Groundwater, Hobbister, Knarston, Tags Orquil, Tofts
DAMSAY CONJECTURES
On PASTMAP only one Damsay site is indicated. So I was surprised on doing a search on Damsay through RCAHMS that nine came up ! A linked map displayed them. These additions are mostly from a field and desk-based survey. At the west end of the island the survey found three possible sites. South to north these are a possible mound and cist (HY38761370, NMRS record HY31SE 75) an enclosure (HY38781385, HY31SE 76) and a possible prehistoric settlement (HY38781393 , HY31SE 74). Offshore is a possible fish trap (HY31SE 82), though I would see fish traps in features near near Eves Howe in Deerness before I would this. The ?feature is at HY39411390 and a possible prehistoric barrow or mound (HY39141380 HY31SE 78) isn't very far away, being just above the M of MHWS on the 1:25,000. Those who say that Clouston's possible castle is a broch site say the castle site would be more central, placing it somewhere north of this ?barrow. A pity we have no details on any of these sites, like size or appearance. Another site type found was rig-and-furrow. The official grid reference for HY31SE 83 is HY39011406 but the aerial view show several 'fields' on the northern side of Damsay that leave a large and suspiciously blank space between them and the ?barrow. The castle would be expected on the high point here (actually, to my mind, the space is large enough for this and other structures) but the survey threw up nothing. Of coure there is precedent for defensive structures to be completely removed, but I wonder if the surveyor actually walked onto this high point - I know from personal experience how even on the slightest knoll stones may not be apparent until you are right on top of them. In the 14thC there was both a castali and a skali on Damsay (in Orkney skali is translated as 'hall').
There are presently three bodies of water in the eastern half. However on the 1849 commonty plan of Firth [a large fragile map in the Orkney Archive, shewing Rennibister as Bull] only the main one appears - the other two are marshy areas on the 1882 25" O.S. This is in the north-east corner and its northern end seperates the St Mary's Chapel site from the putative broch. This lochan has a suspiciously straight western edge, making it resemble that at Ferry Point on the nearby mainland (used to land peats until an incoming owner of Quanterness stuck his oar in). I suspect this is the result of late 19thC landscaping, otherwise... (I have seen mediaeval or prehistoric furrows in a roadside field beside the track to Ferry Point, and seeing my photo Anne Brundle did not disagree). Recent underwater archaeology found a likely burial ground offshore.Once upon a time there was a causeway from the Point of Damsay north-west all the way across to the Skerries of Coubister in mainland Firth. A few years ago during an
exceptional low tide a man donned waders and made the full journey (there is a narrow channel that allows boats passage). Perhaps the end of the causeway is referred to in an alternative translation of a tradition related by Jo Ben "They say that sometimes ridges of hills are taken away and in the space of an hour restored again".
Anyhoo, St Mary's Chapel (HY31SE 21 at HY38951422) only exhibits an 8" high portion of drystane wall under six foot long, as has been the case since at least 1848. Its turf-covered mound is fourteen by seven metres and four foot high. Many early mediaeval chapels started out as private chapels belonging to a hall owner. Warebeth chapel is strongly associated with Munkerhouse and so surely the putatitive broch site on Damsay is [also] where the monasterium was (technically a nunnery is a foundation with a female head, so a man must have been in charge here). Storer Clouston found no evidence for the 12thC castle save "a very possible site of a small rectangular tower... the sea on one side and a steep bank on a second" unconnected with a drystone dyke there. Similarly John Fraser thought a small mound at the NE point of the island was connected with the castle. Presumably this is not the same as the chapel mound and is referred to an enclosure where I would put the monastery and thought a possible broch to boot - castle HY31SE 25, ?broch and mediaeval settlement HY31SE at HY39031460.
Amongst all this what isn't mentioned is the standing buildings there, including the (unroofed) two-storey house so evident to the eye. Could be they are subsumed under 'mediaeval settlement' I suppose. The big hoose had windows and I am torn between a construction date from the great Orkney-wide building expansion of the 17thC (loke Breckness) and the much later period of mansion house building (Like Garson). It could even be on the site of an older structure. It is close to the shore and what seems to be the remains of a one-storey extension could be a boathouse. Or maybe a walled garden. Difficult to tell from the shore even after seeing it with a zoom lens from several different directions. Which is why (I guess) a field survey should survey everything, including what others have done
before. The building, or is it a pair of buildings, abut the division of two fields/precincts/?. These 'precincts' division is the longest edge. The western one is bounded by a stone dyke but not apparently the eastern one where the possible broch site is located, though it still stands out clearly. No boats to Damsay unfortunately.
The commonty plan shows no lochan at Ferry Point
Labels: broch, castle, Damsay, monasterium, nunnery
LONG AYRE, DEERNESS
Long Ayre in Tankereness on the east side of Inganess Bay starts at Weethick Point and spans roughly 600m to a point about level in longtitude with the Hall of Yinstay. Actually it has two parts, a straight section at the west end and a longer arcing section at the other. From this I conclude that it is only partly natural, probably requiring the same regular upkeep once applied to Ayre in Kirkwall. It rises to a few feet high, not the great height of Carness Ayre but I believe the latter to be almost entirely made by man as the last stage of pushing back the sea from the Carness brecks [where there apear to be the remains of an early L-shaped pier or harbour] such as happened at Scapa (where the process started at least as far back as the Vikings and didn't finish until the late 19th century). On the south side of the water thus enclosed can be found the remains of earthen nausts. These are way deep, say the distance from the bottom of the Houton boat nousts to pier level. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of those at Long Ayre. They are shown in 1882 as nearly a dozen papillae (tiny tongues) on the south side between the two ayres (the boat nousts are genuine, being included amongst examples by a researcher). Sometimes this site is referred to as a double ayre. But I am certain that if this dated as far back either the site would not be Long Ayre or this short ayre would be named seperately. The 1st O.S. shows that Long Ayre does not span both pieces of land. The area behind it is Cockle Sand and the body of water behind the inner 'ayre' [now Cloven Ayre and the lochan a tidal pool as is Cockle Sand] is the Loch of Swarsquoy.One fine day in August, having traversed the coast around Weethick (I have never seen even the faintest sign of the vanished Roondles, vanished as thoroughly as the five clay mounds of Bossack quarry) and its ship dock on a particularly low tide, I was able to pick my way across the remaining pools and gain the ayre. It is almost entirely composed of large water polished stones, though there are small patches of grass by the base of the inner edge. Very slippery but well worth the effort. Of course I always have to do things the hard way, I think the western tip is how one should enter upon it as this starts higher and fully joins with the land - perhaps the eastern gap is not a product of erosion but to allow boats egress - and there is a winding track that connects with Smiddyquoy and then the main road. If coming this way I would recommend a visit to the Yinstay cairn, apparently built using stones from a Broch Age structure or being one such heavily remodelled. There was once also a standing stone and a souterrain here but the stone was removed long ago. There is in the vicinity a trail that goes around the shore of the Loch of Tankerness to the mill.
Long Ayre in Tankereness on the east side of Inganess Bay starts at Weethick Point and spans roughly 600m to a point about level in longtitude with the Hall of Yinstay. Actually it has two parts, a straight section at the west end and a longer arcing section at the other. From this I conclude that it is only partly natural, probably requiring the same regular upkeep once applied to Ayre in Kirkwall. It rises to a few feet high, not the great height of Carness Ayre but I believe the latter to be almost entirely made by man as the last stage of pushing back the sea from the Carness brecks [where there apear to be the remains of an early L-shaped pier or harbour] such as happened at Scapa (where the process started at least as far back as the Vikings and didn't finish until the late 19th century). On the south side of the water thus enclosed can be found the remains of earthen nausts. These are way deep, say the distance from the bottom of the Houton boat nousts to pier level. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of those at Long Ayre. They are shown in 1882 as nearly a dozen papillae (tiny tongues) on the south side between the two ayres (the boat nousts are genuine, being included amongst examples by a researcher). Sometimes this site is referred to as a double ayre. But I am certain that if this dated as far back either the site would not be Long Ayre or this short ayre would be named seperately. The 1st O.S. shows that Long Ayre does not span both pieces of land. The area behind it is Cockle Sand and the body of water behind the inner 'ayre' [now Cloven Ayre and the lochan a tidal pool as is Cockle Sand] is the Loch of Swarsquoy.One fine day in August, having traversed the coast around Weethick (I have never seen even the faintest sign of the vanished Roondles, vanished as thoroughly as the five clay mounds of Bossack quarry) and its ship dock on a particularly low tide, I was able to pick my way across the remaining pools and gain the ayre. It is almost entirely composed of large water polished stones, though there are small patches of grass by the base of the inner edge. Very slippery but well worth the effort. Of course I always have to do things the hard way, I think the western tip is how one should enter upon it as this starts higher and fully joins with the land - perhaps the eastern gap is not a product of erosion but to allow boats egress - and there is a winding track that connects with Smiddyquoy and then the main road. If coming this way I would recommend a visit to the Yinstay cairn, apparently built using stones from a Broch Age structure or being one such heavily remodelled. There was once also a standing stone and a souterrain here but the stone was removed long ago. There is in the vicinity a trail that goes around the shore of the Loch of Tankerness to the mill.
Labels: Carness, Long Ayre, Tankerness, Yinstay
St Lawrence's Church in Southtown on Burray
Where the A961 leaves Burray Village heading east, where it turns to the last of the Churchill Barriers instead carry across to the road marked for the cemetery and Ness. Upon reaching Leith the cemetery road goes down directly by Leith's east side. The kirk was built in 1621, about the same time as the nearby Bow of Burray was rebuilt. In some ways it resembles Breckness P(a)lace in Stromness, if not quite so grand. I had been expecting to find foundations at most but it is mostly upstanding, if unroofed. But what most surprised me is that despite a lack of megalithic stonework this is most definitely a broch site. The church sits where the tower was, though I'm unsure whether it is centred or to the edge. It sits above the rest of the kirkyard as there is a two foot deep rectangular cut through the mound. The old wall at the east end looks deeper and a little different in character. The outer broch would appear to finish at this side as looking over the cemetery extension it just goes down to the low cliff - the broch surrounds the kirkyard on the north and west over to the path to the shore. When you think the stones must have been removed before ever (the present) kirk was built the landowners have kept it rather well preserved. It has elements reminding me of three other chapel brochs; the old Holm parish church and Warebeth in Stromness and Overbrough in Harray.
When the Bu Sands scheme was agreed in 1995 the OIC’s planning director said it was likely that St Lawrence church stood on an extensive site belonging to a Norse ‘magnate’. This goes well with my opinion that this ecclesiastical site began as a private chapel attached to a Viking hall [like ? the alleged St Peter’s Kirk near St Peter’s Pool in Toab] and explains why the kirk is at the edge of the broch or broch tower site.
Where the A961 leaves Burray Village heading east, where it turns to the last of the Churchill Barriers instead carry across to the road marked for the cemetery and Ness. Upon reaching Leith the cemetery road goes down directly by Leith's east side. The kirk was built in 1621, about the same time as the nearby Bow of Burray was rebuilt. In some ways it resembles Breckness P(a)lace in Stromness, if not quite so grand. I had been expecting to find foundations at most but it is mostly upstanding, if unroofed. But what most surprised me is that despite a lack of megalithic stonework this is most definitely a broch site. The church sits where the tower was, though I'm unsure whether it is centred or to the edge. It sits above the rest of the kirkyard as there is a two foot deep rectangular cut through the mound. The old wall at the east end looks deeper and a little different in character. The outer broch would appear to finish at this side as looking over the cemetery extension it just goes down to the low cliff - the broch surrounds the kirkyard on the north and west over to the path to the shore. When you think the stones must have been removed before ever (the present) kirk was built the landowners have kept it rather well preserved. It has elements reminding me of three other chapel brochs; the old Holm parish church and Warebeth in Stromness and Overbrough in Harray.
When the Bu Sands scheme was agreed in 1995 the OIC’s planning director said it was likely that St Lawrence church stood on an extensive site belonging to a Norse ‘magnate’. This goes well with my opinion that this ecclesiastical site began as a private chapel attached to a Viking hall [like ? the alleged St Peter’s Kirk near St Peter’s Pool in Toab] and explains why the kirk is at the edge of the broch or broch tower site.
Labels: broch, Burray, Southtown, St Lawrence Church
