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

  SM1285_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004043)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of at least ten barrows, forming part of a barrow cemetery dating probably to the Bronze Age (between about 2000 and 800 BC). All of the barrow mounds are roughly circular and they are aligned in a broadly N-S arrangement. They vary in diameter between 4m and 15m and are generally low, standing up to 0.5m maximum. The barrow cemetery is located on improved grassland on the SE shoulder of Kirbuster Hill at approximately 60m above sea level. The cemetery is sited midway between and overlooks Loch of Hundland to the E and Loch of Boardhouse to the W. The monument was first scheduled in 1937, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The scheduled area is an irregular polygon in shape, 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 a post-and-wire fence to allow for its maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to make a significant addition to understanding of funerary practice in the Bronze Age. Earthen barrows form an important and relatively widespread element of Orkney's Bronze Age landscape. Orkney's barrows are unusual in Scotland, and important within a British context, because the majority are earthen mounds as opposed to stone-built cairns. They provide evidence of the significant changes which took place in society and funerary practice in Bronze Age Orkney. Although this site has suffered plough damage and erosion in the past, the surviving barrows retain their field characteristics to a reasonable degree and we know from excavation of similar sites that they are likely to contain important archaeological evidence. The buried remains are likely to include cists, skeletal material and ashes, as well as artefactual and environmental evidence for the design, construction and use of the barrows, and the nature of the contemporary local environment. The significance of this site is enhanced by its proximity to other barrows and barrow cemeteries in this part of Orkney Mainland. Our understanding of the form, function and distribution of Bronze Age barrows would be diminished if this monument was to be lost or damaged.

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.