Vinquoy chambered cairn

The tomb was first excavated in 1857 by antiquarian James Farrer and landowner Robert Fraser Hebden, who dug into the chamber through the top of the mound. According to the 1878 journal of the Society of Antiquarians of Scotland, Hebden, who bought his Eday estate in 1850, "made considerable antiquarian researches over the island from time to time at his own expense; but although the property abounds in ancient tumuli, nothing of interest was discovered beyond a few flint flakes, some human skulls, and a sculptured stone which he presented to the Museum". The tomb most likely dates to the early third millennium BC, because of its similar design to Maeshowe Neolithic chambered tomb on…