Breckness Cairn

 Breckness Cairn, Stromness,  Orkney 

Abbreviated from:-

Notice of the Excavation of a Chambered Mound Near Breckness, Stromness, Orkney. By M. M. Charleson, F.S.A Scot

In the summer of 1900, by the kind permission of W. G. T. Watt, Esq. of Skaill, I commenced the excavation of a large mound on the farm of Westerleafea, near Ereckness in Outertown, Stromness.

There was no room for doubt as to the artificiality of the mound, which, apart from its symmetry and surroundings, had previously supplied a neighbouring farmer with a quantity of material for building purposes, these operations, more properly depredations, leaving a gap on the south side of the mound in which several upright slabs of some size were noticeable. At this point we began the excavation,........

It will, I think, be seen from the foregoing description that although the chambers excavated bear some resemblance to those structures occasionally met with in Orkney, which have been regarded as sepulchral, and are distinguished by a dry built chamber on the beehive principle, a passage leading to it, and one or more lateral cells, the present group must, I think, be regarded as dwellings. There is an entire absence of. human remains, the bones found being those of animals, including the skull of a dog. The relics, although meagre, are interesting, and point clearly to human occupation, but apart from this the features of the chambers themselves are such as to lead one to the same conclusion.

In the case of the chamber first excavated, the recess off the east side might have been a well; and in this connection I may say, that on the occasion of a recent visit I observed it to be full of water, while that on the north side of this chamber, to judge by the condition of the walls, had evidently been used as a fireplace.

The cavity in the floor also seems significant, but the use to which it might have been put is not apparent. The other chamber also, to judge by the traces of fire in its northerly recess, had a fireplace.'

The entrance passages are low and narrow, and one would think unsuitable for giving free access to the chambers. No doubt they are so, if we consider them in relation to the requirements of the present day.

One is at a loss what to make of the enclosure fronting the chambers.

Had the outworks been complete, a theory might have been suggested, but unfortunately they suffered considerably from the operations referred to in the beginning of the paper. As to the age of the structures we cannot even hazard a guess,- although from the presence of the stone implement they must be assigned to a remote period, not, it should be remembered, because the implement is made of stone, but because the type is an ancient one. The implement, however, cannot be taken as giving an adequate idea of the culture of these mound dwellers, nor can the pottery aid us in this matter. We must rather take the chambers themselves as the criterion, and in doing so we come to the conclusion that, although built on a definite plan, with great uniformity and some ingenuity, the civilisation of the builders was not of a high order; but however this may be, they were keenly alive to their personal safety, the dwellings being constructed in such a way as to be easily defended from the inside, while, in selecting a site, they took care that they had a good view of the surrounding country and of the not far distant sea.

This is a cairn that is acknowledged to be likely to be a habitation rather than a burial monument which might suggest at least some doubt about other cairns in Orkney and elsewhere. 

The neoliithic migration of people from Scotland to Orkney is discussed in the Orkney Riddle. 

Jeffery Nicholls 

Orkney 

Jiffynorm@yahoo.co.uk