Description

The monument comprises the remains of a well-preserved and substantial burnt mound, dating probably to the Bronze Age (between about 2000 and 800 BC). It survives as an elongated grass-covered mound, measuring approximately 25m N-S by 30m transversely and standing approximately 1.5m high. Burnt stone has been recorded previously in exposed sections of the mound. The mound is situated on low-lying rough pasture land S of the isthmus between the Lochs of Boardhouse and Hundland. It sits on a NW-facing slope at 35m above sea level and is adjacent to a now culverted watercourse. The monument was originally scheduled in 1940, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The scheduled area is circular on plan, measuring 40m in diameter, as shown in red on the accompanying map. It includes the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to contribute to our understanding of the past, in particular, the dating, form and function of burnt mounds and their placing within the landscape. This is a well-preserved example of its kind, located in area rich in Bronze Age remains. By analogy with excavated burnt mounds elsewhere in Orkney, it can be expected to contain structures such as a hearth and water trough, and other important archaeological evidence. The loss of this monument would impede our ability to understand the origins, function and development of burnt mounds and the nature of later prehistoric society and economy in Orkney.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Anthony, I 2003, Luminescence Dating of Scottish Burnt Mounds: New Investigations in Orkney and Shetland, Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Glasgow.

Hedges, J 1975, 'Excavation of two Orcadian burnt mounds at Liddle and Beaquoy', Proc Soc Antiq Scot 106, 39-98.

RCAHMS, 1946 The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Twelfth report with an inventory of the ancient monuments of Orkney and Shetland, 3v, Edinburgh, 35, no 103.

ScARF, 2013, 3.3.1 'Burnt Mounds', The Scottish Archaeological Research Framework website, http://www.scottishheritagehub.com/content/331-burnt-mounds.

Toolis, R 2005, 'Excavation of a burnt mound at Meur, Sanday, Orkney', Scottish Archaeol J 29(1).

Topping, P 2011, Introduction to Heritage Assets: Burnt Mounds, English Heritage, UK.

Towrie, S 2013, 'A Brief History of Orkney - The Bronze Age', http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/bronzeage.htm.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland