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

  SM1306_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004064)

Summary

Description

The monument is an Orkney-Cromarty type of stalled cairn known as the Knowe of Ramsay, dating from the Neolithic period (between 3500 and 2500 BC). It survives as a low turf-covered mound, with a hollow in the centre in which a number of flagstones are visible. The flagstones are likely to represent the chamber walls of individual compartments recorded in previous investigations. Sections of the outer wall-face can be traced intermittently around the edge of the mound. The cairn is particularly long and narrow, with fourteen recorded compartments. The mound is orientated NW-SE and measures approximately 35m in length by 14m in width (maximum) and stands up to 1.2m high. The NW end of the mound is rounded, while the SE end, where the entrance passage is located, is straight. The monument is situated on the edge of a natural terrace at 60m above sea level, with wide views in all directions, but particularly to the S and SE. The monument was originally scheduled in 1935, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan and 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.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a substantial example of a chambered cairn which has the inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, particularly the design and construction of burial monuments, and the nature of belief systems and burial practices in Neolithic Orkney. There is high potential for the survival of important archaeological deposits and features within, around and beneath the cairn, which can add to our understanding of the nature of burial practices, how the monument was used and its significance. In Orkney, and in Rousay in particular, chambered cairns are an important component of the wider prehistoric landscape. They are often focal points and can inform our understanding of prehistoric land-use and social organisation. The Knowe of Ramsay is of particular significance as one of a concentrated group of chambered tombs on Rousay. It is also notable as one of the longest and largest examples of a stalled cairn in Orkney. 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 such monuments 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.