Stackel Brae Castle, Maltbarn Eday, Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK

Scheduled Monument Description

© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.

The monument consists of the remains of a small fortified dwelling and other structures, probably dating to the period of Norse rule in Orkney.

The remains take the form of a grass-covered mound, with traces of walling visible in its surface. The mound is cut by the sea along its S side, and here can be seen a solidly built wall, of at least three periods of construction and reconstruction. The wall is lime- plastered and the stones are bedded in clay. To the W of this massive walling are remains of further structures, but these are obscured by fallen turf.

The area to be scheduled is irregular, bounded by the foot of the low eroding cliff on the S. On the W it is bounded by a line drawn parallel to, and 10m E of, the easternmost building of the farm of Maltbarn. The area has maximum dimensions 85m SW-NE by 40m NNW-SSE, as shown in red on the accompanying map.