Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM1252_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004012)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a Maeshowe-type chambered cairn dating from the Neolithic period (between around 3500 and 2500 BC), together with an adjacent ruined 19th-century church and its enclosure wall.

The remains of the cairn are spread over an area roughly rectangular in shape measuring approximately 40m NNE-SSW by 18m transversely. Originally the cairn would have comprised a central passageway, with chambers or cells leading off to the sides, and the whole sealed with a substantial covering of stones. The cairn was extensively robbed in the early 19th century, and the stone was re-used to build a United Presbyterian church immediately to the N. The cairn was partly investigated in 1860 by a local antiquarian, Robert J Hebden, which led to the recovery of part of a large slab decorated with spirals and rings pecked into its surface (now in the National Museum of Scotland), sherds from a pottery urn and flint flakes. The other half of the decorated stone was reportedly used as a lintel in the church, but there is no sign of it today. The church was erected in 1831 and was in use for less than 30 years before being abandoned. It is visible now as the remains of the N and E walls, which stand almost 4m high, and the ruined vestry projecting from the N wall. Its footprint measures 14.5m E-W by 8.4m transversely. Both the church and cairn are enclosed by a low stone dyke, which probably also incorporates stone from the chambered cairn. The monument is situated on the N shoulder of Chapel Hill at 50m above sea level, overlooking Eday Sound. The monument was originally scheduled in 1936, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The scheduled area is almost rectangular on plan, approximately 72m N-S by 53m transversely, 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.

Statement of National Importance

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 construction of burial monuments, and the nature of belief systems and burial practices in Neolithic Orkney. Despite previous disturbance to the site, there is good potential for the survival of important archaeological deposits within, beneath and around the remains of the cairn and church, including human burials, artefacts and palaeoenvironmental evidence. The significance of the monument is enhanced because this is a rare form of chambered cairn, unique to Orkney, and an unusual example of its class. In Orkney, chambered cairns are an important component of the wider prehistoric landscape and can inform our understanding of land-use and social organisation. The church is of interest in its own right, but is also important because of the potential information it contains about the use and working of building stone in prehistoric times, and because of the potential to recover further prehistoric carved ornament on one or more of the stones in the fabric of the church. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the meaning and importance of death and burial in prehistoric times and the placing of chambered cairns within the landscape.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.