Description

The monument was first scheduled in 1949, but an inadequate area was included to protect all of the archaeological remains. The present rescheduling rectifies this.

The monument consists of Augmund Howe, a substantial stony mound, surrounded by an arc of eleven smaller mounds inter-linked by a low bank. This extensive group of mounds or cairns lies in a pasture field between 5-13m O.D. The cairn at the centre of the group, Augmund Howe, has suffered from stone robbing and its E part is eroded away by the sea. However, the surviving W half measures c. 23m N-S along the eroded face, by c. 11m transversely and c. 2.2m high. No wall-faces or other signs of careful construction are visible. There is no evidence of a central chamber. The turf-covered mounds, which form an arc around Augmund Howe, vary in size from c.5m to c.10m in diameter, and c. 0.5-0.6m in height, and in shape from circular to oval. Augmund Howe is not central to this arc; distances between it and the cairns vary from 120m to the S, 110m to the W, the nearest cairn lies c. 50m to the NW. The discovery of two cists and human bone during the partial excavation of one of the cairns confirms their function as burial monuments. The interconnecting bank is spread to a breadth of c. 2m, and survives to a maximum height of c. 0.3m. To the N of Augmund Howe, there is no visible trace of the bank between the cliff edge and a point c. 50m to the W. Towards the N end of the enclosed area, the remains of rectangular structure with rounded corners is indicated by an arrangement of low, turf covered banks measuring c. 8m by c. 3.5m.

The area to be scheduled is irregular in shape, with maximum dimensions of 510m N-S by 240m E-W, to include the central cairn of Augmund Howe, the arc of eleven cairns to landward of Augmund Howe, the interconnecting bank, the rectangular enclosure and an area around in which evidence relating to the construction and use of each component and of the whole group may survive as marked in red on the accompanying map extract. The proposed scheduled area is bounded to the W by an existing scheduled area (SAM 1353) and to the N by the scheduled area of the Property in Care/Scheduled Area of the chambered tomb of Quoyness (AMH/90243). The field fences that form the NNW and NW limits of the proposed scheduled area are excluded from the schedule to allow for their maintenance.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland