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

  SM1303_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004061)

Summary

Description

The monument is a multi-period site comprising a burial cairn dating probably to the Bronze Age (between about 2000 and 800 BC), and a later settlement dating probably to the Iron Age (between about 800 BC and 500 AD). The monument is situated at the SE edge of a sheltered bay at Wood Wick. It lies immediately adjacent to the coast, at around 10m above sea level, and has wide views to the E across Gairsay Sound. The monument was originally scheduled in 1936, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The settlement is visible as a roughly oval, grass-covered mound measuring around 50m in diameter and standing up to 5m high. Two passageways are visible leading into the mound. The W passage is around 5m long and leads to two sub-rectangular chambers, one larger than the other; the floor level of the smaller one is lower than that of the passageway and reached by two steps. Another entrance on the N side reveals a slightly curving passageway extending about 10m; and exploratory excavation from the E towards the top of the mound exposed walling which may indicate that other passages and chambers are present. RCAHMS recorded a third entrance to the SE, and the remains of a hearth on the seashore near the N entrance. The cairn is situated 90m ESE of the settlement mound and comprises a grass-covered stony mound measuring approximately 12m in diameter and standing up to 1m high.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan. It includes 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 field dyke and post-and-wire fences to allow for their maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, particularly Iron Age settlement in Orkney. The several entrance passageways and chambers indicate that the mound contains a complex series of structures, which may have been used for storage (styled by Davidson and Henshall as 'a variant souterrain'). It has the potential to improve our understanding of different structural types and construction techniques,  as well as changes in settlement types over time, particularly when compared with other broadly contemporary settlement types across Orkney, notably brochs. The monument also has the potential to inform our understanding of the design and construction of prehistoric burial monuments, and the changing nature of belief systems and burial practices in Bronze Age Orkney. The multi-period nature of the site, the confirmed survival of complex remains, and the presence of an earlier burial monument alongside a later settlement, make this a particularly interesting and important archaeological site, which can tell us about life and death in prehistoric Orkney. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the domestic architecture, settlement and society of Iron Age Orkney, and earlier burial practices and beliefs during prehistory.

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.