The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-02-26
Ancient Buriais In Orkney.

| .h0 P'Ceuiceluc isldHu VI ROuSay, IN TIC
Orkney, group, bore no inconsldcrablc part
In early Northern history. Hcle Jar
Sigurd the Viking had his stronghold; and
herc' we read in the Orhneyingc Saga,
Earl Paul Hakonson of Orkney was seized
on the shore by SVEN the Viking, son OF
Asleif, and carried OF to Athol In 1886.
The spot bears the name OF Swcindrow to
this day and seven hundred years after
the event, a sword, supposed to have been
used III the struggle, was turned up by the
plough. Standing stones underground
houses, and tumuli are found in Rousay in
considerable numbers. The valley of
Sourin, which divides the island east and
west, seems, from chance discoveries in
the past, to he rich in such ancient re-
mains ; and last autumn some researches
were made in tumuli on the Corqloy farm,
a short notice of which appeared in the
Scotsman Of 23d October 1880,
The spot where the explorations were
made is singularly beautiful and peace
tut one. a wide amphithcatrc of hills
shuts out al view OF the sea, save to the
east ward, where a glimpse is visible, of
Engilshay, and Eday.
Were 1t not for the dull roar of the
Atlantic, heard over the northern hills, ono
would scarcely think the land was soa-girl.
About halfway up this valley may be seen
group OF five grassy mounds close to-
| gethcr, the largest about five feet high,
and fifty feet in circumference; the small
est only little above the level. On being
opened, each mound was found to contain
a stone collin or cist of the ordinary typc,
formed OF six flat stones, AMI averaging
two and half feet by two feet, and one
and half feet III depth These cavities
were partially filled with Il heap of fine
black ashes, mixed with calcincd irag-
mcnts of Zone, all the surroundings being
clearly iirc-markcd. The most interesting
discovery, however, was that of an oval.
shaped urn Or pot in the cist of the larg
est mount, heaped with ashes and bones,
and resting mouth upwards. The urn
measurcs-diamctcr OF mouth nine and
thrcc-Quartcrs by eight inches, height seven
and quarter inches, diameter of base four
and half by three and lhrcc-uuartcr
inches, thickness averaging quarter of
an inch. The greatest care was necessary
Ill extricating it, as it was cracked in
several places; but 1t was secured in fair
preservation, and along with several bone
specimens, is now placed in the Antiuua-
rian Museum, Edinburgh. The ashes in
all the clsts were most carefully searched
III the hope of finding some articles not un .
usual in such inLcrmcnls but in vain :;
nothing but ashes aud bone fragments re-
manned. 1t was indeed strangely difficult,
gazing at these insignificant relics, to con.
meet them Ill any way with the touch of
death the lapse of centuries, no less than
the purifying flame, had 80 completely
robbed them of even the Semblancc of de-
Cay.
Taking their general appearance and
| situation OF these mounds into cOnsidcra
ton, 1t seems, even at first sight, not un-
likely supposition that they constituted
the burial place of a family. The absence
OF any large tumulus or cairn over the
cisls again favors the idea, as additions
| could then be made. from time TO timo
without much disturbance; although there
is no evidence existing as to the length of
time bc,wcc the first aud last OF tic five
inlcrmcnts. THIS hypothesis, if not alto.
gclhcr in accord with antiquarian tcsti.
moLy, is at least not contradlctcd by it.
Such small local cemeteries arc not I'M
common III Scotland; and some very in
tercstlng examples have been found in
Fife, midlothian, Sclkirk. Roxburgh, and
other countries, although belonging prob
| ably TO much earlier age. Some of the
Fife urns having been found somewhat
richly ornamentcd, IL has been considered
rs likely that they belonged TO some fam
| lily OF distinction who resided and had IN
tluencc in the ncighborhood OF their site.
1t Is evident, however; that In al in
quiry OF this kind we are, even at the out
set, OH disputaDlc ground; and from tho
remarkable scarcity in Northern cists of
indcntlfyng relics, such as gass beads and
other ornaments, weapons, &c.. the qucs.
ton OF their history resolves itself in most
cases into balance of mere probabilities.
At this stage, IN truth, VIC would fain
allow Fancy TO weave the web of the IN
citain past, and people this fair valley
with an imaginary race. Our day dream
would be unvcxcd by disputes regarding
Norwegian or Celtic origin, and free from
the painfully commonplace f" G,iilh Gs,ilhSi ,fH ,H
barous traits of these car's'timcs.
These burials, say" - s'tir r. antiuuariup Men
o"sinS 'oI, "gH ~,.noY o.sYeSsdch doubt Norwegian,
Dc'ohglhe 10 r'1atcr Iron Age, which may
place Dc'' ID 700 a. ID. and the close of
INC cP .cl,!h century the identifying link
| r~shs case bt:ng the material of the cine
rary urn-stcatl;'c or soapstonc-from a
block Of which the ,srns have been gcncr-
ally followed out with an iron chiscl. Such
stcatitic urns, sometimes invested over the
gathered ashes after cremation, sometimes
heaped full with them, are plentiful in
Norway, but rare in Scotland, and only
foand III the latter in the area occupied by
the Northmcn. They prove also, we re-
grct to say, to have more prosaic and
homcly origin than we had assigned TO them
III our political revere. We had pictured
them as skllfully fashioned by loving hands
to contain the remains Of lhc departed; but
it seems they had "contrivcd double debt
to pay" being primarily employed as Gull
nary pots in domestic use This, we fear,
Is unqucstionably, many of the Norway
urns, and some few in Scotland, having
iron rms with irol bow handles, arching
the mouth, like a modern cooking-pot