Shorter Notes
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Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 112 (1982), 518-586 Shorter Notes The Island of Muckle Skerry, Orkney HunterDockrilJ R S J d *an l Muckle Skerr mose th s tyi northerl foue th rf yisland o Pentlan e th n si d Skerry group which lie between the N coast of Caithness and the island of South Ronaldsay, Orkney. The three other islands, Little Skerry, Louther Skerry and Clettack Skerry are small by comparison and are barely more than outcrop e Rousath f o sy Flags which constitut e locath e l geology. Muckle Skerry (ND 4678) has a surface area of approximately 0-5 sq km and is protected on all sides by steep cliffs and rock platforms which are exposed at low water. The island is almost plateau-like in appearanc e topographth d an e uneventfus i y l wit hdifferenca f leso e sbetwee m tha 5 1 n n highese th lowesd an t t surface points surface Th . turs ei f covered throughou stild an lt supplies limited grazing facilitie r sheep resula sfo s f stronA .o t g tidecurrentd an s Pentlane sth d Firth has been a notorious region for maritime disasters throughout history and a lighthouse was constructe Muckln o d e Skerr earls ya s 179ya 4 (Wilso lighthouse n 1975Th . 4) , e systemw no , modernized and modified, stands within a complex of buildings and walled enclosures formerly used by the keepers and their families and dominates the island. The system is currently manned by a permanent staff of three. Considering the difficulties of approach to Muckle Skerry even using modern vessels and aids, access in antiquity is likely to have been a formidable obstacle to any form of settlement or activity. Despite this however, survey wor Royae kth carriey lb Commissiot dou Anciene th n no t and Historical Monument f Scotlano s d (RCAMS e Ordnancth d an ) e Surve identified yha a d number of sites which suggested that the island was unexpectedly rich in archaeological remains. numbeA f observationro sBlack recordeA r M formea , y db r lighthouse keepe keed an rn anti- quarian, supported thi islanRaymonr e s D visi th a vie y d o b t w an d Lamb Archaeologicaw no , l Orknee Officeth r fo ry Heritage Society mucd di , confiro ht wealte archaeologicae mth th f ho l environment. The official survey visits had been of relatively short duration and in August 1981 smala l expeditio mountes nwa carro dt t moryou e detailed surve yinvestigato t wor d kan e eth possibility of additional monuments. A total of 30 monuments were subsequently identified (fi, approximatelg1) y twic numbee eth r already known thesd individualle an , ear y detailee th n di index below. It is difficult to ascribe many of these monuments to any specific phase of antiquity. The number of recorded chance finds are few and give little scope to interpret the breadth of chronology on the island. Published evidence shows only the discovery of fragments of an Early Iron Age pottery vessel (Longworth 1963) and the remains of a likely Viking Age bone comb with associated pottery (Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 70 (1935-36), 393). In neither instance is the find spot on the island accurately defined. Accordin Black'o gt s observations (RCAMS 1946 , 365-6ii , ) midden material * School of Studies in Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford SHORTER NOTES 519 MUCKLE SKERRY Site Survey 1981 ' site reference points / linear earthworks FIG 1 was encountered more frequently although detailed surveclife th f f sectioyo n produced onle yon indisputable example. erodeThi m alony 0 sla 5 d ga sectioe sidth cliff N nf o eo e f th fac n eo island (site 4) where shell midden and fallen stonework were clearly visible in the turf subsoil and where a modern drystone duck-hide had been superimposed over existing stone slab features. These wer f unknoweo deposite extene n th th dat f t o te bu s suggeste aren d a f considerabl ao e settlement. Manmonumente th f yo s investigated fore wer th f mounds mo n e i evidencd an , f theieo r function or type could rarely be determined even with a presence of stone features protruding through the turf. To some extent this problem had been alleviated by previous activity (or plunder) severad mounde an th f alreadd o l sha y been entered thus exposing internal features. Thref eo these showe remaine dth slab-linef so r walledo d cavities likel represeno yt t burial areas. Those of site 3 and 25 were approximately 2-5 m x 2-0 m and 1-0 m x 0-5 m respectively while that of site 2 was somewhat larger being approximatel Additionall. m 3 x m y3 y this mound showed traceo tw f so parallel line f uprigho s t slab t lessse s than 1- apar0m t running southward t leasa r ts fo 11-. 0m Of further interest was the presence of a number of partially visible uprights set in the area between sites 2 and 3. Only one of these exposed mounds showed any positive evidence of stone settings in the turf cover, site 25 exhibiting sub-rectangular alignments on the western face. Six of the remaining undisturbed mounds also bore traces of protruding stones although it 520 j PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1982 was rarely possibl determino et e whether these wer situ,n ei collapsed feature parr caira s o f o tn composition. Mound sites 6 and 7 both featured seemingly random stone settings although the latter containe ddominana t upright slab approximatel higm c h0 y6 positione d roughle th n yi centre and close to a fallen slab of similar dimensions. Site 6 showed a noticeable depression at the summit. This was approximately 2-0 m in length with a small upright slab positioned at either end. A similar feature was observed on a further mound, site 5. Less definite features were discernible on site 14 although traces of a possible stone setting around the edge of the mound were noticed. The two other mounds in this group, sites 12 and 13, both showed slight traces of protruding slabs. Thero reason s i eo sugges nt t that these monuments were anything other than burial mounds. Their apparent intact surviva likels i l havo yt e bee resule nth f theio t r relativelw ylo profile (between 0-5 and 1-Om in height) and generally amorphous contours. They contrast sharply wit e enterehth d mounds which stand between d 2-1- hig00an m h with more definite extremities and they take a more dominant (and attractive) position on the landscape. One monumen exception a t likele b lowa o s thiyo t nt , swa partl y denuded mound (sit ) where8 e removal of turf cover had revealed a small complex of upstanding slabs and stone features likely represeno t t some for habitationf mo featuree Th . s were concentrate aren a an d i approximatel y 7 m x 7 m with a central space and a possible entrance to the NW. Animal action may have been partly responsible for the erosion of turf cover but it seems likely that the initial exposure was the resul excavationf o t . Simila t lesrbu s prolific stone features were e alsth of o discovere E S e th o dt island (site 23) protruding from the edges of a low, barely detectable mound. These consisted of two groups of upright slabs, the largest example being some 80 cm in length and 25 cm deep partially conceale smala n di l depression surroundine Th . g area containe dnumbea f largo r e slabs lying among the turf, several being over 1 m x 1 m in size. Additionally, the immediate vicinity reveale uprigho dtw t slab t approximatelsse y 2- apar5m t (sit simila) e24 thoso rt e encountered . o6 n d sitean s5 Twelve further mounds produced little evidence for interpretation. Sites 10 and 11 probably belon specifia o gt c grou remainde e islanburiaf e pth o th t f do bu l lese moundS rar se easth n yso groupee b n ca d) assigno t togethe22 d .an Fivbeins 1 ra 2 thes f e, o g 18 etypologicall , (site17 , s9 y similar being oval in form ranging in length between 16 and 28 m and in breadth between 9 and eacn I . 1h6 m cas highese eth t moune pointh slightlf y o tlonde la th gf yaxiso towardd .en e son There seemed to be no geological reason for their presence and indeed there was significant vegetational difference between the mound surface and the surrounding grassland. Two smaller mounds of similar proportion were also identified (sites 19 and 20). three Th e remaining moun islane th f do monumentadjacenN lighthouse e th th o o t t y sla e complex. Two of these were clearly visible from the ground (sites 29 and 30) and appear to have been utilise houso dt e lighthouse equipmen facilitiesd tan thire identifies Th .d wa (sit ) e28 d from the lighthouse gallery by means of vegetational change. Three linear earthworks were encountered during the survey. The least definable of these was a sub-circular enclosure, open to the W, with a diameter of approximately 35 m (site 15). The acrossm ban betwees 4 kd wa , approximatelan n3 vegetationalls heighn wa i d m yan t1 y distinct fro surroundine mth g area.