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Sub-Megalithic Site near to North Stream, Skomer Island

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NPRN414608
Map ReferenceSM70NW
Grid ReferenceSM7266209988
Unitary (Local) AuthorityPembrokeshire
Old CountyPembrokeshire
CommunityMarloes and St Bride's
Type Of SiteCHAMBERED TOMB
PeriodNeolithic
Description
A sub-megalithic site, featuring a low stone pair closely associated with an earthfast natural slab, is prominent on the skyline on the north-eastern part of Skomer Island (SM 7266 0998). The pair of upright stones stand 3.25 m apart and are incorporated in the vestiges of a field boundary bank 0.8 m wide. Some 2 m to the south of the western upright, and thus off-centre to the pair, is a sizable earthfast natural slab measuring approximately 2 m by 2 m whose front (north) edge rises 0.5 m above the ground. The slab is of note as it is isolated in clear ground and not closely matched by comparable slabs or boulders in the vicinity. While the two upright stones to its north bear resemblance to a functional pair of gateposts in a prehistoric boundary, a number of large blocks and slabs infill the gap between them. Thus, the boundary appears to have been constructed along the line of the pre-existing stone pair, and the gap between them infilled, so as to create a continuous boundary with no entrance. Such a scenario could suggest that the stone pair were originally free-standing. Coupled with the proximity of the large earthfast slab and their highly conspicuous position on a low summit on the north of the island, where their silhouette is visible from all western and southern approaches (including from the Old Farm at the centre of island), there is the strong likelihood that the stone pair represent a megalithic, or sub-megalithic monument. The monument lies just to the north of Evans? Cairn Group 11 (1990, figure 8) and thus may be closely related to a cairnfield of unusual concentration.

O Davis RCAHMW 16/08/11.

See: Barker, L., Davis, O., Driver, T. and Johnston, R. 2012. Puffins amidst prehistory: re-interpreting the complex landscape of Skomer Island, In: Britnell, W.J. and Silvester, R. J. (eds.), Reflections on the Past, Essays in Honour of Frances Lynch. Cambrian Archaeological Association. Pp. 280-302.
Resources
DownloadTypeSourceDescription
application/postscriptDSC - RCAHMW Digital Survey CollectionDigital depiction (.ai) from an RCAHMW digital survey of Skomer Island sub-medieval site.
application/pdfDSC - RCAHMW Digital Survey CollectionWeb-friendly version of a digital depiction (.pdf) from an RCAHMW digital survey of Skomer Island sub-medieval site.
application/postscriptSIP - Skomer Island ProjectSkomer Island: sub-megalithic site close to north stream; plan and elevation drawings produced by Toby Driver.