King Orry’s Grave

Despite being surrounded by later developments, King Orry’s Grave is one of the most complete of the Island’s megaliths (stone monuments). The site comprises two sections, East and West, separated by a road. It is unclear whether they were ever connected.

King Orry’s Grave (East) was partially destroyed during the construction of the neighbouring house during the 1800s. Stones mark the edge of the cairn (man-made stone mound) which
once covered the burial chambers. An arc of taller stones partially encloses a semi-circular forecourt and dry-stone walls, approximately 1.5 metres high in places, indicate the cairns
original height. At the centre, 2 stones form an entrance leading into the first of three surviving burial chambers. The chambers were originally roofed with slabs, then buried
beneath the cairn. The stone lying in front of the tomb entrance may once have been the lintel. The remains of burnt animal bones, Neolithic (Stone Age) tool fragments and pottery
have been found in the area.

King Orry’s Grave (West) lies across the road and is accessed by a path which leads around a private house called ‘Gretch Lea’. The layout is similar to King Orry’s Grave (East). The site
has a forecourt, the remains of a curved façade and the three-metre-tall ‘King Orry’s Stone’ which forms part of the entrance to the burial chamber. The chambers were originally
roofed over and covered by a cairn. The chamber nearest to the house is constructed from massive slabs and is probably the first structure on the site with the leaning portal stones
being the original entrance. Two additional chambers, built from smaller slabs and with flagged floors, are from a later stage of construction. King Orry’s Grave was probably built about 6000 years ago and evidence shows that the monument was still being used 1000 years later. Despite the name , there is little evidence to link these sites with the semi-legendary King Orry.