Low mounds near the Westray shore preserve the remains of a Norse farmstead that kept changing for centuries. Quoygrew is a medieval settlement site on Westray with Viking Age, medieval, post-medieval, and later occupation evidence.
The site matters because its middens, old rubbish layers preserving food and artefact evidence, record daily life as clearly as its buildings do. Fish bone, shell, peat ash, mammal bone, antler pins, combs, pottery, drains, and rebuilt stone rooms trace a long-lived farm from early Norse settlement into the modern crofting landscape.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Quoygrew was probably established as a small Norse farmstead between 900 and 1000 AD. The settlement expanded around 1200. The scheduled monument includes medieval and post-medieval buildings dating from the tenth to sixteenth centuries.
The site remained occupied until the early twentieth century. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 2014. Excavation found coastal and farm middens, including fish bone, shell, peat ash, mammal bone, cattle skulls, and horse bone.
A larger stone building was constructed around 1200 on top of an earlier turf-and-stone building. The stone building was remodelled and expanded in nine stages before being dismantled in 1700.
What to look for
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Two low mounds
The ruins can be seen as a shoreline mound and a second mound inland.
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Midden evidence
Coastal and farm middens preserve fish, shell, mammal bone, and artefacts.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 59.3387°N · 2.9800°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Easy going
Opening & admission
The source pack does not provide reliable current admission details; verify before travelling.
- The pack describes visible low mounds and scheduled status, but gives no current public access details.
Nearby places
Fortified place · Medieval
Noltland Castle
Orkney Islands
One of Orkney's finest surviving tower houses, a heavily gun-looped Z-plan castle built by a courtier of Mary, Queen of Scots, and left unfinished…
Questions people ask
- What is Quoygrew?
- It is a medieval Norse settlement site on Westray in Orkney.
- How long was it occupied?
- The pack says it began around 900-1000 AD and remained occupied until the early twentieth century.
- What did archaeologists find?
- They found buildings, middens, drains, pottery sherds, antler pins, combs, fish bone, shell, and mammal bone.
- Why are the middens important?
- They preserve food and waste evidence that helps reconstruct farming, fishing, and daily life.
Sources
- Wikipedia article
- Source pack: Quoygrew settlement, Westray
Explore more: Tomb or burial places · Prehistoric · Orkney Islands
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