Tomb of the Isles (Castle Bloody, Shapinsay; Lingro, Rousay and; Cutters Tuo, Stronsay)

ORCA archaeology undertook geophysical survey at three locations as part of the 'Tombs of the Isles Project', a community focussed programme of research, walks, arts workshops, archaeological fieldwork (survey, geophysics) and school workshops, focussed on the Neolithic tombs of the North Isles of Orkney. Magnetometer survey was undertaken at each location to understand more about the nature of the individual sites and to situate them within their broader landscape, followed up by targeted earth resistance survey. Surveys were undertaken by an ORCA team with the support of island residents who volunteered. The geophysical surveys were successful in confirming the presence of the Neolithic tombs and adding to our understandings of the monuments and their local environs. Using both techniques has been particularly valuable as the datasets complement each other. Despite the large amount of noise from the modern fences and gates, the quiet magnetic signature of Castle Bloody is typical of a tomb rather than the souterrain as previously suggested. At Lingro, the tomb is similarly quiet magnetically, although many of the adjacent features reflect the rich post-medieval agricultural landscape of the area. Taken together, both the magnetometer and earth resistance results suggest that Cutters Tuo has a lengthy history of use, with an earlier tomb reused and modified during the Bronze Age. The headland is rich in extant features associated with the kelp industry, such as drying walls and kelp pits, and some of these features are visible surrounding Cutters Tuo in the magnetometer data. The survey revealed a new site of possible medieval or prehistoric date on the headland of Grice Ness to the west of Cutters Tuo. While the signature of the site is likely to represent settlement or industrial activity, the site would benefit from further work in order to understand more of its form and extent.