Taversoe Tuick Chambered Cairn

Taversoe Tuick is a chambered cairn built into a hillside overlooking Wyre Sound on Rousay. Its unusual design places one burial chamber above another, with separate entrance passages. The tomb came to light in 1898 when workmen cut into a mound to create a sheltered seat for the owner of Trumland Estate. Lady Burroughs recorded the discovery, including the unexpected presence of human remains beneath a familiar viewpoint. Further excavation in 1937 clarified the architecture and showed that the upper chamber belonged to the original design, rather than being simply a later storey. Human remains and pottery were recovered, while small cremation cists in the upper area represent later Bronze Age activity. A separate small chamber outside the main cairn complicates the site’s interpretation. Its exact function is uncertain, demonstrating that even an extensively described monument can retain unresolved questions. Period: Neolithic with later Bronze Age additions Grid reference: HY 42585 27610 Protection: Source: Historic Environment Scotland, https://www.trove.scot/place/2634 (Open Government Licence). Contains Historic Environment Scotland data licensed under the Open Government Licence; source compiler retained per record. Banner photo: "Taversoe Tuick Chambered Cairn - geograph.org.uk - 6734377" by Sandy Gerrard, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.