What is the Knowe of Lairo?
The Knowe of Lairo is a long chambered cairn on the hillside above Eynhallow Sound, below Ramsay and Yarso. Later stonework narrowed its chamber, though the purpose is uncertain. It lies on private land; read the approach and access notes before setting out.
The long cairn
Walter Grant and David Wilson investigated Lairo in 1936. Its tapering mound extends more than 45 metres, with the broader, higher end to the east. [2] [3]
The original chamber had three compartments. Wall recesses held human remains, and finds included pottery and a polished stone axe. [2] [3]
Changes to the chamber
Added internal walls narrowed the chamber. One suggestion is that the builders were changing the tomb into a different form, but the timing and purpose remain uncertain. [1]
The excavation report records the stonework. The Ness of Brodgar article explores the possible explanations. [1] [3]
The hillside setting
Lairo lies on a hillside terrace below Ramsay and Yarso. [1] [4]
You can use the published drawings to follow the chamber’s layout and later changes. [3]
Find out more
- The Knowe of LairoNess of Brodgar Project
Interpretations of the altered chamber and the cairn’s setting.
- Trove: Knowe of LairoHistoric Environment Scotland
Recorded structure, finds and historical investigations.
- Grant and Wilson: Lairo excavation reportSociety of Antiquaries of Scotland
The original account of the 1936 investigation.
- Tombs of the Isles project posterUHI Archaeology Institute
Project overview of Orkney’s chambered tombs (PDF).
Researched by Stay Rousay. Sources checked .