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A New Dimension to Ancient Measures - from many years of research and fieldwork

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Boreray - Stone Circle in Scotland in Isle of Harris

Submitted by Andy B on Sunday, 26 June 2011  Page Views: 17361

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Boreray
Country: Scotland County: Isle of Harris Type: Stone Circle

Map Ref: NA15060499
Latitude: 57.867744N  Longitude: 8.495988W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 Destroyed Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 1 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 4

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Boreray
Boreray submitted by Andy B : Geo an Araich, Boreray Copyright John Ferguson and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Destroyed Stone Circle on Boreray, St Kilda. On Boreray near Stallar House, is a large circle of huge upright stones set at equal distances from one another, with one flat-topped one in the centre of the circle. Sands, in 1875 could find no trace of this circle.

CANMORE Entry: Type of Site: Stone Circle
NMRS Number: NA10SE 2

Map reference: NA 1525 0505
Archaeology Notes
NA10SE 2 c. 1525 0505.

(Area: NA 1506 0499) K Macaulay 1764; J Sands 1875.

Note: Prehistoric finds from five-year survey project on remote St Kilda's Boreray isle
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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
NA1405 : Overhanging rock, Boreray by Richard Webb
by Richard Webb
©2009(licence)
NA1504 : Boreray and Stack Lee from Orca II by Terry Levinthal
by Terry Levinthal
©2013(licence)
NA1405 : Coast north of Clesgor, Boreray, St Kilda by Mike Pennington
by Mike Pennington
©2011(licence)
NA1405 : West coast of Boreray by John Allan
by John Allan
©2015(licence)
NA1405 : Uncomfortably close to Boreray by Richard Webb
by Richard Webb
©2009(licence)

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"Boreray" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Prehistoric settlement found on Boreray by Andy B on Thursday, 07 July 2011
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Archaeologists working on the St Kildan island of Boreray, previously thought to be home only to seabirds and feral sheep, have found the remains of a permanent settlement which could date back to prehistoric times.

Less than a square kilometre in size, Boreray is situated over 65km west of the Outer Hebrides.

It was previously thought that inhabitants of St Kilda’s largest island Hirta visited neighbouring Boreray only in the summer, to hunt birds and gather wool. This practice ended in the early part of the twentieth century, and in 1930 the last remaining inhabitants of St Kilda were evacuated from the islands – at their own request.

Now this latest discovery by archaeologists suggests that a farming community lived and worked on the steep slopes of Boreray before the 17th century, and perhaps as far back as the prehistoric era.

During eight days of research on the island, the team recorded an extensive agricultural field system and terraces for cultivating crops, and identified three possible settlement mounds. Remarkably, one of these contained the intact remains of a stone building with a corbelled roof, sealed up over centuries by soil. It is believed that some of these remains could date to the Iron Age.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “This extraordinary discovery is further evidence of the international importance of the St Kilda archipelago, reinforcing its value as one of Scotland’s five World Heritage Sites. It is also wonderful to see the collaboration between the National Trust for Scotland and Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments (RCAHMS) survey teams yielding such spectacular results.”

RCAHMS surveyor Ian Parker said, “This is an incredibly significant find, which could change our understanding of the history of St Kilda.

“Until now, we thought Boreray was just visited for seasonal hunting and gathering by the people of Hirta. But this new discovery shows that a farming community actually lived on the island, perhaps as long ago as the prehistoric period.

“These agricultural remains and settlement mounds give us a tantalising glimpse into the lives of those who lived for a time on Boreray. Farming what is probably one of the most remote – and inhospitable – islands in the North Atlantic would have been a hard and gruelling existence. And given the island’s unfeasibly steep slopes, it’s amazing that they even tried living there in the first place.”

The recent investigations on Boreray mark one of the few times archaeologists have set foot on the island. It comes as part of a five year partnership project between RCAHMS and the Trust – begun in 2007 – to map traces of human occupation on the islands from early prehistory right through to the present day. Inhabited for well over two millennia, but with a population which probably never exceeded 200 people, St Kilda’s main island Hirta was finally evacuated in 1930 at the request of its remaining 36 islanders.

Jill Harden, who is under contract to the National Trust for Scotland for her professional knowledge and experience of St Kilda, said: “Trust staff were an integral part of the overall mapping project, and having the opportunity to stay and work on Boreray was a highlight of my professional input to the Trust’s management of St Kilda. New discoveries and interpretations are fundamental to people’s understanding of ways of life associated with all the islands and stacs that make up the St Kilda archipelago. It is refreshing to know that there is still so much to learn about these islands.

The public will soon be able to access the results of the survey on the RCAHMS online database Canmore. The survey also represents an essential resource for the Trust for the long term management and conservation of the internationally important historic environment of St Kilda.

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Prehistoric finds on remote St Kilda's Boreray isle by Andy B on Sunday, 26 June 2011
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The remains of a permanent settlement which could date back to the Iron Age has been uncovered on a remote Scottish island, according to archaeologists.

It was previously thought Boreray in the St Kilda archipelago was only visited by islanders to hunt seabirds and gather wool from sheep.

Archaeologists have now recorded an extensive agricultural field system and terraces for cultivating crops.

They have also found an intact stone building buried under soil and turf.

St Kilda's group of small islands are the remotest part of the British Isles, lying 41 miles (66km) west of the Western Isles.

Hirta, the main island of St Kilda, was occupied until 1930 when the last islanders left after they asked to be evacuated because their way of life was no longer sustainable.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said simple tools found on Hirta suggested Bronze Age travellers may have visited St Kilda 4,000 to 5,000 years ago from the Western Isles before people settled at an unknown date.

Boreray's sheer sea cliffs and sea stacs are home to thousands of seabirds and what land is available is grazed by hardy feral sheep. The island's soil is fertile because of the actions of burrowing seabirds.

Mullach an Eilein, the highest point on the isle rises to just above 1,260ft (384m), making Boreray the smallest Scottish island to have a summit higher than 1,000ft (304m).

The discoveries by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and NTS has suggested that Boreray, as well as Hirta, had settlers.

The survey team said the stone building found was among three ancient settlement mounds. It could contain Iron Age artefacts.

RCAHMS surveyor Ian Parker said the finds could change experts' understanding of the archipelago's history.

Survey team member Ian Parker on Boreray Ian Parker is watched by puffins while he works on Boreray

He said: "Until now, we thought Boreray was just visited for seasonal hunting and gathering by the people of Hirta.

More at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-13753643
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