Description

The monument survives as two standing stones and the stumps of two further stones, representing the remains of a probable chambered cairn. The monument is likely to date from the Neolithic or Bronze Age (late third or second millennium BC). It is situated on a gentle SW-facing slope at around 20m above sea level overlooking the Sound of Hoy.

The two standing stones are almost exactly the same size, measuring approximately 1.2m in height and 0.9m in width. They are situated about 1m apart and stand on either side of a low rise that measures around 20m WNW-ESE by 10m transversely. The two standing stones are aligned N-S, while the broken stumps of two further stones are aligned E-W on an axis between the standing stones.

The scheduled area is oval on 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 the post-and-wire fence running E-W between the standing stones. The monument was originally scheduled in 1939, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present rescheduling rectifies this.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it has inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular the design and development of prehistoric burial and ritual monuments. It can inform our understanding of prehistoric land-use, social organisation and belief systems. There is potential for the survival of important archaeological deposits within the low rise and beneath and around the standing stones, including human remains or other deposits relating to ritual and funerary activities, together with artefacts and palaeoenvironmental evidence, such as charcoal or pollen. The loss of this monument would impede our ability to understand the nature of prehistoric belief and ceremony in Orkney and the placing and function of ritual monuments within the landscape.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the site as HY20NW 4.

References

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, 325, no 923.

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/1568/

Source: Historic Environment Scotland