Description

The monument comprises the remains of a prehistoric settlement, dating to the Neolithic period (between around 3500 and 2500 BC). The site is visible as an area of uneven turf-covered ground, with a 15m stretch of exposed stone structures visible along a boundary fence line. Excavation by Grant and Childe during the 1930s and 1940s revealed an extensive Neolithic settlement comprising at least seven cellular houses of drystone construction, architecturally similar to those at Skara Brae. The houses, some of which were superimposed, had central hearths and stone furniture, including beds and dressers, and there was also evidence for drainage. Most of the settlement is no longer visible above ground, but geophysical survey in 2010 identified the presence of in situ surviving structures and indicated that the settlement extends over an area of around 2,000 square metres. The settlement is situated at around 25m above sea level on a terrace on the southern slopes of Faraclett Head, NE Rousay, overlooking Rousay Sound around 1km to the SE. The monument was first scheduled in 1963, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The scheduled area is irregular in plan to include 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, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of a modern boundary fence near the eastern edge of the site.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a particularly significant Neolithic settlement with the inherent potential to add greatly to our understanding of prehistoric settlement, land-use and agriculture in Orkney. It is an excellent example of its class and is hugely significant for its contribution towards Neolithic studies in Britain. Its discovery and excavation by Childe and Grant has contributed greatly to our understanding of the settlement pattern, land-use and division, economy, organisation and complexity of Scotland's first farming society. The monument survives in good condition mainly below ground, but with significant parts of the structures excavated by Grant and Childe still visible through the turf cover. Geophysical survey has indicated the likely presence of additional structures and deposits over a larger area than previously known, which suggests the site still has much to contribute towards our understanding of Neolithic society, architecture, trade and exchange contacts, the agricultural and economic basis of Neolithic settlement, and how these may have changed over time. Its significance is enhanced because it is the only known example of Neolithic settlement in Rousay and because of its possible association with a number of chambered cairns nearby. The site therefore offers the opportunity to study the relationship between Neolithic settlement and funerary monuments, and their meaning and significance within the landscape. The loss of the monument would significantly impede our ability to appreciate and understand the prehistory of Orkney and Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as HY43 SW 20.

References

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Topping, P 1996, 'Structure and ritual in the Neolithic house: some examples from Britain and Ireland', in Darvill, T and Thomas, J, Neolithic houses in northwest Europe and beyond, Neolithic Studies Group seminar papers 1, Oxbow monograph 57, Oxford, 157-70.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland