Monument record 1577 - OROSAY

NF70NW 13 7120 0632

E4: A huge shell midden and associated stone built structures, on a small promontory on the Sound of Orosay.
The midden is represented by a grassed-over mound about 1m high, but at its edge the sea-cut section shows a midden and various sand-blow deposits with a depth of 1.8m, so that the total depth of the midden is probably between 2 and 3m at its greatest. It is between 30 and 40m across and seems to occupy the entire peninsula. In the section, a peat deposit at the base is overlain by traces of stone structures, with five stones laid horizontally at one point; two further stones appear to be set upright. A flint pebble was recovered at this level. The deposits above have several layers of midden separated by sand deposits; one midden deposit includes a lense of burnt material and shells. From a little below this deposit a very friable piece of what appeared to be reddish-orange pottery was recovered. No other artefact material was seen, but a sampling of the shell content showed that cockles dominated the sample. Other shell-fish were noted however, including (in descending numbers) limpets, dog-whelks, periwinkles, mussels, pecteus, and razor shells.
There were traces of further midden deposits, and possible stone strctures, in the sea-cut section further NE from the site and the impression is that at some time in the prehistoric period this piece of coastline on Orosay saw a lot of activity.
This is clearly a substantial site; it most likely to be of Iron Age date and the site might well hide a wheel-house. However, the one uncertain sherd found was very small and did not appear to be typical of Iron Age pottery from wheelhouse sites elsewhere in the Western Isles.
The edge of this site is being actively and quite seriously eroded. Many large stones from the structure seen in the section lie below and in the area now covered by high tide.
K Branigan 1993; NMRS MS/595/10, 5

Branigan and Foster 2000, 10.

K Branigan, 1993b, Discovery and Excavation, Scotland, 109 (Bibliographic reference). SWE28576.