Twelve standing stones originally formed the stone circle at Stenness but only four remain today, the tallest of which is over 5.5 metres high.

Henge

The Stenness stone circle in Orkney’s west mainland was surrounded by a ditch 6 m wide and 2.3m deep and outside of this, a similar bank. Archaeologists refer to this type of structure as a “henge“.

The ditches and banks have been eroded by ploughing activity and are no longer visible.

During excavations, features discovered in the centre of the ring suggested that a wooden post was situated centrally, later followed by a 2m square setting of stone slabs with 2 larger stones set to the north.

Standing stones Stenness rebuilt

The three large slab structure to the north, has been rebuilt twice over the years and is comparable to structures in other great stone circles.  All of the features lie on a line due north from the centre.

In 1906AD, a fallen stone was re-erected taking only 8 men and a timber framework ramp, leading to calculations that it took over 5000 man days to build Stenness, with most of this time spent digging the ditches and building the bank.  50 men could have built the henge over a single summer or 10 – 20 men over a few seasons.

Archaeologists discovered “grooved ware” pottery, bones of animals and one human finger along with evidence of a fire in the small central setting.  Signs of much later iron age activity was also noted, showing that the henge stayed in use for many years following it’s build.

Further information

Orkneyjar – The heritage of the Orkney islands; Standing Stones o’ Stenness article

Stonehenge – Probably the best known prehistoric stone circle.

Stone Circles .org – List of British Prehistoric sites and stone circles.Similar Posts:

• Ring of Brodgar
• Barnhouse Neolithic Settlement
• The Outer Islands
• Broch of Gurness
• Orkney Island Yarns – Woolgathering

The Kirbuster Farm Musuem shows 18th Century Crofter's life

Over the centuries Orcadians have travelled and settled all over the world, many making their homes in Canada and the USA.

Orcadian ancestral research has always been popular but television programmes like the BBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are” have made people realise how easy it can be to trace their forbears.

“Blood of the Vikings” and “Face of Britain” focused on how the Viking bloodlines are still strong in the islands.

Many descendants still bear the Orkney names of their forefathers – Drever, Flett, Foubister, Harcus, Kirkness, Linklater, Louttit, Rendall, Sabiston and Sinclair, to name but a few.

Begin the journey of discovery and with the help of the Orkney Family History Society. Library archives and Museums you can even see how your ancestors lived and worked.

The following sites may be of interest:

Orkney Family History Society – A volunteer group of willing and helpful people can help you trace your Orcadian roots and build a picture of what their life was like.

Orkney Library and Archive – Have a wealth of records and information covering every aspect of life on the islands.

Orkney Library & Archive, Kirkwall

Orkneyjar – This fantastic website provides so much in depth information about Orkney’s Heritage, you will find yourself returning to it time and time again.

www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/OKI/ – The UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service

www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk – General Register Office for Scotland. One of the largest online sources of original geneolocial information.

www.familysearch.com – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, home of the International Genealogical Index (IGI). Free online BMD searches and much more.

www.scotsorigins.com – Scots Origins features a Free IGI search, access to Origins Experts research of authentic Scottish records from 1700 to 1990, a Free Scottish Place search, and expert articles and discussion on Scottish history.

www.scran.ac.uk - Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network. Scran is a charity & online learning resource base with over 360,000 images & media from museums, galleries, archives and the media.

www.ScottishDocuments.com – Scots wills, up to 1902.

www.ancestry.co.uk – Discover your ancestors with the world’s largest family history website. Start a family tree, browse census records and more online.

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