1. Two-Storeyed Grave at Little Asta, Shetland

Home , Bressay, Gulberwick, Lerwick, Northmavine, Sandness, Sandsting

A TWO-STOREYED GRAVE AT LITTLE AST A, SHETLAND. 69

III. TWO-STOREYEA ) NOTE(1 N O S D GRAV T LITTLEA E ASTA, SHET- LAND; (2) CERTAIN PREHISTORIC RELICS FROM SHETLAND; VIKINA AN ) D(3 G BROOC P SILVEHO R FROM SKAILL BAY, ORKNEY. BY J. M. CORRIE, F.S.A.ScoT. 1. TWO-STOREYED GRAVE AT LITTLE ASTA, SHETLAND. Durin e summegth r month f thio s s yea parta r f workmeyo n under the charge of Mr Andrew Hall, road foreman, Westerhoull, Scalloway, was engaged in quarrying for road metal on the east side of the public road not far from Little Asta, in the parish of Tingwall, Shetland, and on Tuesday, 2nd June, they came upon an interesting two-storeyed grave constructe slabf do stonef realisese o soos h A s n.a d tha beecisd a t ha tn disclosed r HallM , , with commendable restraint, decide o leavt d e eth construction undisturbed until a careful examination of the structure could be made. By a fortunate coincidence Mr G. V. Wilson, F.S.A.Scot., of H.M. Geological Survey of Scotland, happened to pass soon after, and appeales h guidancer ewa fo o dWilsot r M . t oncna e undertoo notifo kt y the Director of the National Museum of Antiquities by wire, and he arranged with Mr Hall to have the grave provisionally protected. On receipt of the telegram Mr Callander advised me to get into touch with privilege Mth r d followine Wilsonha th e I beinf o d y ,an g g da associate d assistants hi d Strachanan r wit,M m hhi makinn i , carefuga l examination of the grave. The district in which the discovery was made is, from an archaeological poin f particula o f view o te on , r interest believes i t I . d tha formen i t r years other cists have been discovere t variouda s placeneighboure th n si - hood t unfortunatelbu , recoro yn f thesdo e finds seem havo st e survived. Several constructions, however, still remaivicinite th n ni testifo yt o yt occupatioe th districe th f n o earl n i t y times. Barel southe ymila th o et - wards from the grave is a large but much-broken mound, popularly called Soldier'e th s Knowe onld ,an y shora t distanc northwardse th o et e th t a , e mosth f Loce to th complet e f Astaf hsouto o on d s i , hen e mounde b o st seen in Shetland. Farther north again is a fine standing stone, the Law Ting Holm groua d interestinf an p,o g mound t Gristasa . The Little Asta burial (fig. 1) was deposited at an elevation of 50 feet above sea-level, bu superincumbeno t n ther s ewa t moun r cairdo o t n mar e positio e intermentth kth f o n . This locatewa s n forcei d d soil mixed with rotten a rocdept t f a kfroo h mfee3 inche4 t fee3 o tt s 6 inches belo presene wth t surfac grounde th f et o seem I . s likely thaa t 70 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 14, 1931. supporting slab for the large cover-stone (A in figs. 1 and 2) liad been removed before its real significance was noticed, for it was not until

Fig. 1. Section of Two-storeyed Cist at Little Asta, Tingwall, Shetland. Mr Halexamined ha l e cavit dth found yfragmente an n th dur n a f o s d soman e decayed human remains thae reath tl nature e conth -f .o

Fig. 2. Cover-stone, Upper Compartment of Grave at Little Asta. structio s realisednwa r HalM .l tell, indeedme s , that there appeared to have been a slab of limestone at the south end of the upper compart- rotted sucn ha i gravee t s dhfriabli a men th t awaywa f bu o d ,t e an , A TWO-STOREYED GRAVE AT LITTLE ASTA, SHETLAND. 71 condition that it was hardly recognisable from the other disintegrated quarryrocthe kof . The first procedur s carefullwa e o removt y e eartth e h froe mth covering slab, and, when this had been done, to photograph the construction with the stone in position. Fig. 2 shows the grave as then disclosed wit y e majola hth t I .r axis nort southd coverine han Th . g a fin slafouns e eb blargwa o t d e piec f importeeo d schis f irregulao t r form, measurin feeg5 t 2£ inche lengthn s northersi it t A . n extremity it measured only 17 inches in width, but at its widest it was 2 feet 10 inche breadthn si 1d £ an ,inc Io hft inc thicknessn hi pointo tw t sA . wese oth n bee d t sidha n t ei e edgetoole th provido t t sda smalo etw l but carefully made notches. It is not very clear for what purpose these had been intended. Thepossibly yma y have been associated wite hth liftin transportatior go stone.e th f no 1 On removing the covering slab it was at once apparent that at some former time the grave had been, perhaps unknowingly, disturbed. It will be seen that there was another slab (B in figs. 1, 2, and 3) over- hangin e e cistcover-stongth th .f o e nort Thith d t sen h a e measure d 2 fee inche3 t lengtn si foo 1 y th b 8^ inche widtn i s d 1J han inc n hi thickness roughld ha t I y. trimme d clearld ha edges d y an forme, a d e originaparth f o t l structure althoug obviousls s truit wa en i t h i t yno position. Its proper setting could not be definitely determined, but later investigation showed that there was no support for the cover-stone on the east side of the grave, and it may be that this slab came from there. more th l eThi al likel s i sface vien th yi t f wtha o e easth te t th sid f eo construction practically encroached upon the ditch of a former line of roadway, where disturbanc likels frequente b e wa o nortye t d Th hen . e cavitoth f y (No, figwhicn i 1) .1 . h measured abou foo1 t depthn i t , seeme o havt d e been roughly constructed. Here ther s onlewa y some loose packing, and this, in part, had given way. Two urns without con- tents of any description, and some much-decayed human remains, were found at the north end of the cavity resting on a slab of stone which forme de coverin e th parlowe th f o tr rg fo compartmen e graveth f o t. The larger urn was broken into fragments, and it cannot on that account be definitely stated whethe originallsmallee d th rha n rur y been enclosed within it or simply deposited alongside it. Two small fragments of the cap of a skull showing an eye ridge and very open sutures served to indicate tha buriae tbeeth d lha n thayouna f to g person. bottoe cavite th th n f I myo three irregularly shaped slabs, measuring

simila1A r featur bees eha n note anothen di r two-storeyed grav t Newbiggingea , near Kirk- wall, Orkney (Proceedings, vol. vi. p. 411 and pi, xxiv.). It has been observed also in North- umberland (Greenwell's British Barrows, p. 418). 72 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 14, 1931. respectively 10£ inches, 14 inches, and 13 inches in width, were laid horizontally, one against the other, to form the covering for a carefully constructed lower compartment or cist (No. 2 in fig. 1 and fig. 3), which measure fee dinche2 0 1 t lengthn si foo1 , inche4 t widtnorte n si th t ha end and 1 foot 7 inches at the south end, and 1 foot 5 inches deep at the foo1 inchesoute 3 d t th nortan t hd sa end hen maie th , n axis again lying exactly geographical nort southd han . This provides cistwa d also with thia n floora sla r bfo . Fig show3 . compartmene sth finalls a t y exposed.

Fig. 3. Lower Compartment of Grave at Little Asta, Tingwall, Shetland. partialle s founb wa o t dt I y filled with a mixtureart d han f burno e t unburnd an t bones e burnth , t remains beine g th adulthosn a d f an eo t unburnt remains those of an infant. The calcined remains had evidently been well fired, and pieces of vitrified material—known in Orkney and Shetland as " cramp "—still adhered closely to them. When found, inter-

mixed with earth, the: y had a glutinous or pulpy feeling in the hand. unfortunats i t I e tha urne wer) tth 5 s ed (figs brokenan 4 . t mos,bu f o t e fragmentth s were recovereds beeha nt i foun d an ,d possibl recono et - struct the vessels. Both were made from an open-grained and easily fractured micaceous steatite. The larger of the two (fig. 4) is bowl-shaped, wit e mouthth h nearly circular t measurei d an , s externall inche1 y1 n si thin O s substance Proceedings,e se , vol. Ixii . 266p . . 1 !\

A TWO-STOREYED GRAV T LITTLA E E ASTA, SHETLAND3 7 . diameter at its mouth, llf inches at the widest part of the wall, from 7 inches to 7f inches across the base, and from 8f inches to 9 inches in

1 O J1 Inches.

Fig. 4. Steatite Urn from Grave at Little Asta. height. The walls are 1£ inch in thickness. The smaller vessel (fig. 5) is of rectangular shape, measurin inchef ginchef 4 4 y sb s acros mouthe sth , 4 inche 3y |sb inches acros basee sth , fro and minche3 3to s£ inchein s 7 height. The walls vary from T T inch t inco| h in thickness. A day or two later a small, flat, water-worn pebble, measuring 2| inches by l^f inch by £ inch, abraded t bota h end showind san g signf o s polishin e flath t n faceso gs wa , turned up only a few feet from the graveothee o n th t f nortro ,bu d hen 3 Inches relics have been recovered. Fig . Steatit5 . fron emUr Grav t Littlea e Asta. So far as I have been able to ascertain firse , thith t s si occasio whicn no hgravtwo-storeyee a th f eo d type has been recorded for the Shetland Islands, but examples are not unknown in other districts of northern Scotland. At least four instances 74 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193114 R . in Orkney—one in. Stronsay,1 one at Newbigging,2 one at Crantit, near Kirkwall,3 and another at Backakeldy in the parish of Holm*—have been recorded in the Proceedings of the Society, and Mr Edwards has also described two, of larger dimensions, disclosed by him in his excava- tion t Ackergilsa Caithness.n li 5 At Stronsay Mr Petrie found what was actually a three-storeyed grave, the upper portion of which was filled with dry peat moss, in which a smal y la l piec f roco e k crystal (probabl n amuleya r charm)o t t bu , nothing else. This small cist or compartment had been constructed on e coverinth g ston a large f eo r cist,.which contained some fragmentf o s burnt bones and ashes. During a later examination another small compartmen locates cisr o t wa t d beneat largee h th botto e th r onen mO . ston f thieo s lower compartmen quantita t f claybeeo d yha n a laidd an , bowl-shaped cavity made in the centre of the clay. The cavity had been nearly filled with burnt bone thed san n covere pieca y f cladb eo y slate' dressed into a circular form. More clay had then been placed in the cist depta o t f abouho coupla t f incheeo anothed san r cavity forme, it n di centre circulae th th leavin f f o eo o r incn piectw g a r hslato f eo e exposed. There was no deposit of bones or ashes in this upper division of the cist. At Newbiggin Petrir gM e foun e uppeth d r compartment emptyt bu , the lower compartment contained a quantity of ashes and two human skeletons—on t a eace h end—i a flexen r conti'acteo d d posturee Th . skeletons were those of adults past middle age. At Crantit Mr Cursiter again found the upper compartment empty, but in the lower compartment he discovered a quantity of calcined human e skeletoboneth d an sn (alsflexea n oi d position youna f o ) g persof no about fifteen years. Beside these remains there was a perforated implement of deer's horn. t BackakeldA r MarwicD y k recorde da coupl f vero e y rude stone implements found in the upper chamber, and in the lower-chamber a heap of calcined bones and the unburnt skeleton of an adult female in a flexed posture. exampleo tw e th t Ackergil a sf o e r Edwardon M ln I s e founth n i d upper chamber the skeleton of a young child in an extended posture, and in the lower chamber the skeleton of an adult female also in an extended position thin I .s instanc suggeste eh s tha uppee th t r buria possibls lwa y secondary. In the other Ackergill example the upper compartment contained san dlowee onlyth t r ,bu cavit occupies fulle ywa th yy db extende d skeleton of a man. It is of interest to compare these details with what we have observed Proceedings, vol. viii. pt. ii. pp. 347 ff. Ibid., vol. vi. pp. 411 ff. 31 Ibid., vol. xliv. pp. 215-7. 2«Ibid., vol. Ixii. p. 265. 6 Ibid., vol. Ix. pp. 160-82. A TWO-STOREYED GRAV T LITTLA E E ASTA, SHETLAND5 7 . in Shetland musIt . t surel morybe e than mere coincidence that threeof e Orkneth y example e Littlth d e an Asts a burial shoul l havdal e been found to contain both burnt and unburnt human remains, and that in e instanceth tw f o s quote n additiodi e Shetlanth o t n d example th e unburnt bones represented the remains of a very young person. In one respect—the fact that urns accompanied the interment—the Little Asta burial standregrettemucs e i b t itselfi y o ht b s d an d, tha investigae tth - tion revealed nothing whereb t ycouli precisele db y dated. Th ee Hallr besth t onlM r no ,o t yt fo thanke e Societth du f e so yar carenthusiasd ean displayee mh connection di n wit discoverye hth t bu , kindness fohi r presentinn si Nationa e urne th g th o st l Museum. Professor Alexander Low, M.D., F.S.A.Scot. s examineha o e wh ,th d human remains, reports thae boneth t s fro uppee mth r compartment of the grave are the very fragmentary remains of the skeleton of an individual about twenty years of age, and consist of imperfect parietal bones, the orbital margin of a right frontal bone, 4 inches of upper extremity of right humerus, very much eroded middle thirds of the right and left femur, and the lower end of a right femur. Those from the lower compartment consist of the cremated remains aduln oa f t human skeleton. These have been very thoroughly calcined, and many of the fragments are embedded in masses of vitrified-like material, probably produce e intensth y b de heat e suractinth -n o g rounding soil. Amongs e manth t y fragment f calcineo s d bones possibli t i s o t e recognise as human small pieces of the following bones: flat bones of skull, shoulder blade bonesm ar , , ribs f ,thig o lowe d h en rbone d an , several bone f footo s . Thes e verar e y fragmentary duplicato n d an , e piece recognisede sar . In addition to the above there are five fragments of the unburned skeleton of an infant of perhaps three to four years of age, pieces of parieta temporaa f l o bon d ean l bone smald an , l pubic bone. Evidently the unburned body of an infant had been buried along with the cremated remain adulte th f so . f intereso s Ii t noto t t e a shortha n i t t cis t Auchlina t , Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, e unburneth d remain a youn f o s g chil f abouo d t five

years of age wer1 e associated with a burial by cremation. . PREHISTORI2 C RELICS PROM SHETLAND. The Shetland relics whic hI hav describo et e came unde noticy m r e during the last two summers while I was engaged on a survey of e Royae islandth th r l fo sCommissio e Ancienth d n Historicano an t l 1 Alex. Low, Proc. Anat.e o th f Anthrop.d an Soc. Univ.e oth f of Aberdeen, 1901-6, . 126p . 76 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 14, 1931. Monuments of Scotland, and I am indebted to the finders and owners for allowin placo t objecte e eth gm s upo manw n recordno y s i year t I . s since a paper dealing in any way with the portable antiquities of the Shetland Islands has been contributed to the Society, but this does not mean tha areae th t , about whic e latGilberr hth e M t Goudie r BrucM , e of Sumburgh Irviner M , r SpenceM , , arid others have recorde mucho ds , has ceased to be of interest to the archaeologist, the historian, or philo- e contraryth logist n O . , many interesting finds have been mady b e enthusiastic observers, and public interest in antiquarian matters con- tinues to nourish. Lerwickn I exampler fo , restar,a locaa r ltfo museu bees mha n begun e roome Towth th f f no o s e Halon l n i buildings mand an , y interesting exhibits are already on view. The nucleus for the collection was acquired by public subscription from the trustees of the late James M. Goudie formea , r Provos Burghe classeo th f o Tw t f relics. so axee th , s and adzes and the thin polished implements of stone known as Shetland knives or Pechts' knives, are particularly well represented, but it is somewhat unfortunate that several very fine specimens are without precise localities. These objects, indeed, form one of the special features among Shetland's prehistoric antiquities. Axesd Adzes.—an The ston e culturax e e appear o havt s e been developed in these islands to a remarkable degree of perfection, for the area has yielded an unusually large number of particularly fine and beautifully polished examples of large size, and, in many cases also, of a fully developed adze-like form. Many of the axes are from 10 inches to 14 inche t infrequentllengthn i sno d an , y have expanded cutting edges like flat bronze axes. There seem havo st e been restrictioo littln r eo n as to the nature of the stone used, as we find specimens made from materials which vary greatly both as regards texture and colouring. A close-grained, dark-coloured stone of a porphyritic character has frequently been used, but others have been fashioned from green serpentine or from a dark buff-coloured or light-grey coloured material. There are in all thirty-three specimens in the Lerwick collection, and throughou islande th t sI hav e seen many other privatn si e possession. O ne show ar fig 6 .e nfines th fou f to r example f adzo s e1 form. No . came from Setter in Tingwall Parish; No. 2 from Taipwell in Whalsay; No fro3 . m Brea localityo f Mewskn o s ha , .4 Bigtown . TherNo d e an ; a complet s i e absenc thin ei s collectio f flat-edgeno d examples. A particularly neat little specime polishea f no d serpentin wite eax h fla t r . FellowsEeiS edgesou . df e E properto th Tait r , e , M on ,f o y has, however, been kindly lenr exhibitiofo t t nI measure (fig. 7) . s 3 5 2T g- inche y 1Tsb V inc s founTy ^hb wa inch dd neaan , r Maillande th n i , PREHISTORIC RELICS FROM SHETLAND. 77 Whiteness area of the parish of Tingwall. It is specially interesting on account of its high finish and the unusually straight cutting edge.1 Polished Stone Knives.—These object e peculia e Shetlanar s th o t r d Islands. The e flatar y , irregularly oval-shaped blades, grouna o t d

Fig . Ston6 . e Adze Lerwicn si k Town Hall Collection. smooth, highly polished surfac thein eo r thin, flat faces witd an h, sharp edges, sometimes continued roun e wholth d e circumference, sometimes with slightly thickene r bluntedo d backs. They sho e samwth e variation s regarda s s e axes sizmateriad thed th an ean o ,y d alss a lo have been found throughout the islands in great numbers; in many cases, indeed, in hoards of from three and four to over a dozen specimens. e NationaThuth n i s fourw l Museuno , f Antiquitiemo f Scotland,o s 1 1 Proceedings, vol. xix . 332p . . 8 7 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193114 R . were found together in a bog in the island of Uyea; six are said to have e Standin th e sid f th o e t beea g w Stonn ro foun t Yahaarwella ea n i d , near Wester Skel Sandstinn di g Parish; sixteed an 1 n were founa y db man digging peats in the parish of Walls, placed regularly on a hori- zontal line, and overlapping each other like slates upon the roof of a house, each standin angln a t f 45°ga eo depta . t a f Theabou ho y yla t 6 feet in the peat moss, and the line of stones ran east and west, with , the upper edge towards the east.2 But by e mosth r t fa important fin f theso d- eim plement mads swa t Modesty ea , about four miles north of Bridge of Walls. Here fourteen were foun knola n i d l with nine stone axes, fragments of three vessels of steatite othed ,an r relics. This discovers yha previously been describe n detaidi l along with other finds in our Proceedings, vol. xxix. pp. 48-54 and vol. xl. pp. 157-8, the relics being preserve e Nationath n i d l Museum. There a.re sixteen specimens in the Ler- wick collection and many others are in private possession. Those illustrated (fig. 8) came from Papa (No. 1); Northmavine (No. 3); Tingwall (No. 4); and Sandness (No. 5). f Serpentino e T?igAx . 7 . e from Mail- No. 2 has no locality. Neither the purpose land, Whiteness, Shetland. ({.) e perioth r f thesdo no t eye objects a s ha s been conclusivel notee yb determinedy d ma tha t i t d severae an , th f o l specimens sho ) (cf4 .w d Nos striatean .2 d marking thein so r flat, polished faces. A specimen, exhibited to the Society in 1908, is peculiar in having groova eacn eo h side hollowed nearly parallel wit backe hth , apparently purposfoe rth f givineo gmora e secure grip when usin implemente gth . The groove e placesar d somewhat obliquel reversn i d yan e directionn si

relation to each other.8 Arrow-heads.—Arthur Edmonston, M.D., in his books on Shetland,4 asserts that "flint head f arrowo s s have been foun t differenda t times," and the Rev. John Turnbull, a former minister of the united parishes of Tingwall, Whiteness, and Weisdale, says also that "Steinbartes or stone axes, called here thunderbolts frequentle ar , y found, also arrow-heads."5 1 Memoirs read before Anthropologicale th Society of London, . 318 volp . .ii . 2 Wilson's Prehistoric Annals of Scotland, vol. i. p. 184. 3 Proceedings, vol. xliii . 22-3pp . . 4 A View of the Ancient and Present State of the Zetland Islands (1809), vol. i. p. 121. 5 New Statistical Account, vol. xv. p. 59. PREHISTORIC RELICS FROM SHETLAND. 79 beliee s beeth t ha fn Ye prevalen r manfo t y years tha arrow-heado n t s of flin r otheo t r silicious material e founwerb n Shetlando i et d o T . some exten e assumptioth t havy ma ne been fosteree lacf th o k y b d actual specimens or by the statements of other writers. Hibbert, for example, says: " The flint heads of arrows are frequently found in f suct i prepare y no h sa reliem a o t dI st Orkney oughe b Bu . o . t t . .

Fig. 8. Polished Stone Knives in Lerwick Town Hall Collection. enumerated among the vestiges of the ancient armoury of Shetland."1 Chalmer s Caledonia"hi n i s 1 make e samth s e assertion d Russell,an , 8 writing as late as 1887, repeats the statement. It was with great satisfaction, therefore, that I learned, after repeated disappointing inquiries in different areas, that such relics had indeed been found e paris areth e of Sandstinn on nai ho d thae specimengan th t s were e possessioth stil e findern i l th r Petersonf no M , . This gentlemat nno only allowed five of his specimens (fig. 9) to be examined and photo- DescriptionA Zetlande oth f Islands (1822) . 226-30pp , . Vol. i. p. 261, footnote (/).

31 Three Years Shetland,n i . 182-3pp . 80 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193114 R . graphed obligingle h t bu , y supplie wite e exacm d hth t locatios hi f no finds and gave details of their discovery. In the first year of search he recovered four specimens, and since then he has added two other examples from the same site. All of them are of fine Workmanship, and they measure respectively: No. 1,1T\ inch by T*V inch; No. 2, 1^ inch by if inch; No. 3, 1^ inch by f inch; No. 4 (imperfect), 1TV inch by TT , !•& inch5 inche 2 . • , f inche inc 6 No ;y . |y fTh b shb . No inch d an ; sixth specimen has not been figured, but it closely resembles No. 2. They leaf-shapee th f o l al de typear thed an ,y hav additionan ea l interesn o t accoun e materialth f o t s from which they have beea n , 4 made . No .

Fig . Arrow-head9 . Stonf so Flind ean t from Paris Sandstingf ho , Shetland. (J.)

slightly imperfect specimen mads i , e fro impurn ma e fro 5 flint. ma No , crystal-like quartz, but the others are of unusual materials. Mi- G. V. Wilson of H.M. Geological Survey identifies the large broad specimen s beina ) 2 g . mad(figNo , e9 . fro ma quart z felspar porphyrye th d an , others (Nos. 1, 3, and 6) as having been fabricated from a very fine- grained silicious epi-schist. In view of the remarkable scarcity of such relics throughou e islandsth t , thie greatesth s f discovero e t on s i y importance I fee d l an honoure, havinn di g been permitte brino dt t gi before your notice. While congratulating Mr Peterson upon the success whic attendes hha observationss dhi hope w ,inducebn y eea thama t i t- ment to others to prosecute the search in other districts. Penannular Bronze Brooch.—This interesting brooch (fig. 10) was found many years ago in a peat bank to the west of Pinhoulland in the parish of Walls, and it has recently been acquired for the National Museum. It is of penannular type, dating probably from about the PREHISTORIC RELICS FROM SHETLAND. 81 fourt fiftr ho h century t measurei d an , | inches2 diametern si rine gTh . is round in section, and the broadened terminals assume conventional zoomorphic forms resemblin e headgth f beastso s with duck-bill-shaped snouts pine Th ,. whic s brokehi n intpartso barrel-shapea s otw ha , d hinge encircled with three raised mouldings. Viking Brooch of Silver.—One of the most prized exhibits in the Lerwick Town Hall collection is a very fine Viking brooch of silver. The relic (figs. 11 and 12) was formerly in Mr J. M. Goudie's possession,

Fig. 10. Penannular Bronze Brooch from Pinhoulland, Walls, Shetland. (\.) an I dunderstan d tha t wai t s found mane peat th a ty n i year o ag s Gulberwick, near Lerwick. It consists of a solid cylindrical rod of silver { inch in section, bent into a penannular ring 4| inches in diameter o extremitietw , wite th h s gradually taperin o bluntist g h point sn man i instea s a y , examplesof d , being fitted with bulbd an s ornamented terminals e pinTh ., which measures 8f inche lengthn i s , is cylindrica section uppei e l th n nri ovan part a t flattenlo t bu , t ou s section nea e pointfittes i th r meany t ornamenten I b da . f o s d collar to the lower part of a hollow-cast bulbous head, which turns loosely on the ring of the brooch. The bulb, which measures 1V inch by 1| inch in frontdiametere th n ,o elaboratel, is , y decorated wit hcharacteristia c T prickly ornament, and on the reverse it has a six-rayed star, with dots and small circles between the rays, engrave a fla n t o dcircula r panel 6 VOL. LXVI. 82 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 14, 1931. | of an diameterincn i h . On either sid hat i e s ornamented collars e througth s ha t hi whicp brooce to rinth e f e hth go hth passesn o d an , conventional ornamented thistle-head terminal. Ornamented Stone Disc.—Ornamented disc f sandstono s e have previously been foun Shetlandn i d t to-nighbu , I havt preseno u et yo o t t

_j Inches. 1...... 1 f9 Inches .

. Silve12 d Figsr an Brooc 1 .1 h from Gulberwick, Lerwick, Shetland. n exampla e mad f soapstono e e (fig. 13), which clearly belonge th o t s same class. It was found on rough ground on the hillside about 100 yards outside the dike of the township area of Gletness, in Nesting Parish t measureI . s 2T\ inches diameten i \y b incr thicknessn i h . The surfac bees eha n nicely smoothe polishedd ornamentae dan th d an , - tion occurs on one face only. The design has been carefully executed, and it differs in pattern from any of the known examples, although it corresponds almost elaboratele exactl desigbose e th th th f so o n yt no y ornamented cros Moriymuskat s , Aberdeenshire. purposThe 1 theseof e 1 Proceedings, vol. lix. p. 37. PREHISTORIC RELICS FROM SHETLAND. 83 ornamented t known discno t s thei s bu , y appea resemblo t r e tablemen more than anything else. f raro The e yar occurrence havx Si e. been recorded fro e Shetlanmth d Islands, som f theo e m from broch sites,

therd an anothes ei r specime Museue th n ni m from Stemste1 re Hilth n li paris Bowerhof , Caithness. Ornamented Club-like Implement. — In e Lerwicth k Town Hall collection there is also a very fine ornamented specimen of a handled implement (fig. 14) which belong clasa objectto ss of s tha almosis t t entirely confine e Orkneth Sheto d t d yan -

Inches.

Fig. 13. Ornamented Stone Disc from Gletness, Fig. Ston14 . e Club from Sandness, Nesting, Shetland. (J.) Shetland. land Islands n certaiO . n site n Shetlandi s t Quendala s a , e Sands, Sefster d Houllandan , , broken example f thio s s class have been often found lying together in large numbers, but their particular purpose has not so far been determined. As a rule they are crudely fashioned, but this Lerwick example, fro e Sandnesmth s district s remarkabli , e for its symmetry of outline and its decoration. A cast of the implement can be seen in the National Museum. It measures 11 inches in length by 4£ inches in breadth and l}f inch in thickness. The handle is

Proceedings, vol. xvii. pp. 296-7 and vol. xli. p. 33. 1 84 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 14, 1931. 4 inche lengthsin bod bladThe implemenyor . the eof broais t flatdand - tened, with an oval-shaped section, and it has been ornamented with two parallel groups of six-cord mouldings, which encircle it at the tip and at base th e abov handleimplemene e efacth th e f eo On . somewhas i t t worn r weatheredo t cannoI . e definitelb t y state whao dt t perio e relidth c _ ___.._.__ shoul e assignedb d r implefo , - i merit f o this s class have been j ; foun associationdn i s which seem i to imply that they have a wide rang timen ei . Thus they have j been foun n Bressayi d e th n i , j heara burn f o t t mound,n i 1 Sandsting, around an under- ground structure,2 and at Jarls- I hof3—al n Shetlandi l t a d an ; i Redland, Orkney brocn ,o h sites.4

. VIKIN3 G BROOC P SILVEO H R FROM SKAILL BAY, ORKNEY. This fine silver brooch (fig. 15) from Skaill Bay, Orkney, was one of the items found in the important hoard of Viking relics whic accidentalls hwa y discovere Marcn di h 1858.6 Since that dat e brooceth bees ha hn in private possession, and has not previously been described in the Proceedings of the Society or othey inan r publications i t I . now in the possession of one of our Fellows, Mr J. Storer L_ Clouston, Presiden e Orkth f -o t Fig. 15. Brooch of Silver from Skaill, Orkney., ney Antiquarian .Societye w d ,an are greatly indebted to him for allowing it to be figured and for permit- ting this shor e texistin addee e noticrelith b th o o t cdt f eo g records of such an important deposit. brooce f larg Th o gooa s n hi ei d sizd stat ean f preservation eo n I . general type it is not unlike six others that were found in the same 1 Proceedings, vol. vii. p. 127. 2 Ibid., vol. vii . 119p . . * Ibid., vol. xli. pp. 28-7. 4 Ibid., vol.. Ixiii17 . p . 6 Most of these objects are now in the National Museum. VIKING BROOCH OF SILVER FROM SKAILL BAY. 85 hoardt differi t bu ,s from e detail thes ornamenteth it mn f i o s d parts. The incomplete ring of the brooch, which measures 5^ inches by 6£ inches in diameter, is made of a solid cylindrical rod of silver, ^ inch in diameter, and it is fitted with ornamented terminal knobs furnished with hollow- cast bulbous expansions, which give them strona g resemblanc thistlo et e heads. These bulbous expansion r sphereo s e undecoratedar s e ar d an , each f aijjo n- inch in diameter largeA . r kno r expansionbo n , a 1^ f -o inch in diameter, with ornamented collars on either side of it, fits loosely on the ring of the brooch. Its upper part terminates in a conventional thistle head, and from its lower part there projects a stout pin 10£ inches s alsi i f silvernon o lengthpi e , cylindricaTh . section i e uppel th n ni r part but flattening out a little near the somewhat blunted point. The ornamentation, which is confined to the collars and terminal points, is simpl t effectivebu e t consistI . a serie f o f sengrave o s d parallel lines passing obliquely across the spaces they fill, and alternating with other band f indenteo s d triangular space r circleso s r wito , h bands thae ar t plain.