ogb 3 collated.qxp 26/10/2005 21:32 Page 422 NORTH ISLES - WESTRAY WESTRAY, “THE QUEEN OF THE ISLES” t h g i r y p o c n w o r C Aerial view of Pierowall with Loch Saintear on bottom right, Aikerness top left and Papay on top right site at Links of Noltland The structure had been filled and there is little to see except (HY428493) above the beach in deliberately and many arte- for a few walls in the sand. of Grobust. A well-preserved facts with parallels to Skara There may well be more building was excavated, but Brae finds, including structures still to examine at of a different internal plan to Grooved Ware pottery, were this extensive site. the houses at Skara Brae. It found. The midden material consists of two rather irregu- contained skulls and cattle At Berstness (HY440420) larly shaped rooms, with bones, plus skeletons of an there are remains of a prehis- small cells leading off, in Otter and a Sea Eagle. toric settlement with curving shape rather like Vinquoy Evidence of cultivation and walls and a possible heel- chambered cairn on Eday. many Red Deer bones were shaped house. The layout of Radiocarbon dating gave a also found. As at Skara Brae old field boundaries can be range 2900-2200 BC. There the ruins were protected by made out, while the Mound is nothing to see on the site the sand but at present the of Skea (HY441418) on the today. house has been back-filled shore is eroded, to reveal WESTRAY (ON Vestrey, fleet. Like other parts of Pierowall, and much evi- West Isle), the second largest Orkney, there are a diverse dence of the Norse settlers Puffin at Noup Head Pierowall from Broughton of the North Isles, is in many range of things to see and do. has been found here in the ways Orkney in miniature. It form of graves in the links has been described as “The Pierowall (HY437485) is (dunes) to the north and west Queen of the Isles” with its one of the best harbours in the of the village, which is one of good farmland, hilly moor- North Isles, the name derives the very few settlements in land, magnificent cliff from Pier o'Wa. Wa, (ON Orkney which is not modern scenery and lovely sandy Vagr, Bay), is the old name of in origin. beaches. Westray is also the the area on the west shore of most prosperous of the North Pierowall Bay. The Hofn, Neolithic Age Westray also Isles, producing a large num- (ON Hofn, haven), mentioned has many prehistoric remains, ber of quality cattle and hav- several times in the one of the most interesting of ing much of Orkney's fishing Orkneyinga Saga, is which is a Skara Brae-like 422 423 ogb 3 collated.qxp 26/10/2005 21:32 Page 424 NORTH ISLES - WESTRAY WESTRAY, “THE QUEEN OF THE ISLES” the sea. The south side had a Iron Age There are several forecourt and was enclosed broch mounds on Westray, by low banks or "horns". A the best preserved of which is further stalled tomb at Vere the Knowe o’Burrastae (HY458505) is a low mound (HY432429) on the shore in front of Vere farmhouse. near Langskaill. The sea has The stall divisions can still be eroded most of the inside, made out on the top of the leaving a curved wall with a mound. square doorway into an intra- mural passage. The mound is There is a prominent round steep on the landward side Point of Cott chambered cairn cairn on a ridge near and structures can be seen in Knowe o’Skea, Berstness Powdykes (HY434436), the ground around it. S During quarry operations at M where some upright slabs can H A Pierowall, a carved stone was C still be made out. There are At Queena Howe R discovered with a spiral and also remains of chambered (HY425495) a series of stone lozenge design (now in cairns at Fitty Hill structures can be seen in the Tankerness House Museum) (HY433445), Knucker Hill eroded shoreline. These which may have been the lin- (HY428470) and Couter’s appear to be circular walls, tel over the entrance to a Hill (HY422491). None of the outermost of which has chambered tomb of the these cairns is in a good state beach boulders built as a pos- Maeshowe type. This tomb of preservation, but they are sible breakwater. It is proba- had been demolished about worth visiting for the view bly a broch. There are several 2100 BC and then used as a and as part of a longer walk. other mounds which may flint tool workshop. Finally a Archaeologists at work on Knowe o’Skea No doubt many other cairns well be settlements. large round house was built existed, but have been hearth and stone box beds but the moulds for casting similar here in the Iron Age. destroyed during subsequent The Knowe o’Skea is a large very little pottery or other pins turned up. It may be that millennia. mound on an exposed head- domestic debris. the metalworking was related Near Cleat, at the Point of land at Berstness to death and burial. Cott (HY465474), is a long Bronze Age A badly eroded (HY441418) which has been There were no burials within Point of Cott chambered cairn plan stalled cairn which dates from burnt mound near Gill Pier investigated by archaeolo- this building, but a large num- Until now, very few Iron Age stone walls and midden about 3000BC. Nine stall (HY450492) has many gists for several years. A ber of remains have been burials have been examined. deposits. This was originally slabs were visible above the exposed broken burnt stones, large rounded building with a found in the buildings and Remains of over 100 individ- thought to be a chambered surface in the centre of this over black earth. Several rectangular interior and very walls on the north side of it. uals have so far been found, cairn, but excavation has grassy mound and traces of other burnt mounds also exist thick walls which had been Two of these small buildings over half of which were from revealed a complex Iron Age walling could be seen, but lit- but are not obvious. No defi- repeatedly added to over per- were metalworking work- young babies. There were burial and metalworking site. tle is now left after a rescue nite Bronze Age settlement haps 500 years was revealed. shops. A metal pin was found few grave goods apart from excavation due to erosion by has been identified as yet. The interior had a central by one of the skeletons and shells buried with some of the Remains of chambered cairn and roundhouse, Pierowall Noltland Links with wildflowers - site of settlement Queena Howe Broch, Grobust Knowe o’Burrastae Broch 424 425 ogb 3 collated.qxp 26/10/2005 21:32 Page 426 NORTH ISLES - WESTRAY WESTRAY, “THE QUEEN OF THE ISLES” Viking Age The Viking Quoygrew, or Lower graves found at Pierowall Trenabie (HY443506), on the date from the 9th century. north side of Rackwick, was Those of men contained first noted as two mounds swords, spearheads, axes, near the shore where coastal knives and combs, while erosion was revealing midden those of women had trefoil material and walling. brooches, penannular Excavation has now revealed brooches, tortoise-shaped a series of structures stretch- brooches in pairs, bracelets, ing over 50m inland from the knives, combs and beads. shore, the oldest of which Some boat-burials were pres- dates from the 9th or 10th cen- ent, and dogs or horses were tury. The upper house was Excavating a skeleton on the Knowe o’Skea Mae Sand is a fine south-facing beach backed by dunes and machair sometimes buried in the same only finally vacated in 1937. infants. The high incidence the one on the headland oppo- grave. The original house was built of small babies is unusual but site. Thus the site may have some distance from the shore, may just mean that there was been in use as a burial ground It seems that the Vikings but about 1000AD a new high infant mortality. for a very long time. The set- became Christian quite soon building was put up near the tlement which used the after the main influx and shore which may have had to Some Bronze Age burials Knowe o’Skea as its grave- there are at least two church- do with the extensive fishing were also found in the yard may be situated to the es on Westray which were which was being done from mound, which may well have north of the nearby farm of established in Norse times. In here. been built on a Neolithic Langskaill, or at the Broch the past many such graves During the 12th century and chambered cairn similar to o’Burrastae. were uncovered, both in the later this structure was Pierowall area and in the extended several times, and at vicinity of Trenabie. The sur- least 15 different fireplaces viving records are scanty and were excavated. Many St Mary’s Kirk graveyard, Pierowall, is a probable broch site most of the artefacts are now steatite artefacts were found lost or untraceable. The from this period, whereas implication is of a substantial from about 1500 manufac- Viking presence at an early tured pottery was being used. date in the north of Westray, Until this series of buildings which is not a surprise given was excavated the only Norse Norse comb found near Pierowall the excellent harbour and houses which could be visited th agricultural land in the area.