Perched dramatically on the wind-swept headland of Sumburgh at the southern tip of Mainland, Shetland, Jarlshof is not merely an archaeological site; it is a breathtaking chronicle of human resilience etched in stone. It is one of the most remarkable and important sites ever excavated in the British Isles, offering a near-unbroken timeline of human habitation that spans an almost incomprehensible 5,000 years. To stand at Jarlshof is to witness the entirety of Shetland’s history distilled into a single, awe-inspiring location, where the homes of Neolithic farmers lie mere steps from the longhouses of Viking settlers and the fortified manor of a Scottish tyrant.
The Deepest Roots: The Neolithic Beginnings (c. 2700 BC)
The story of Jarlshof begins in the dim recesses of prehistory, long before the term “Jarlshof” was ever coined by Sir Walter Scott. While evidence suggests the surrounding area was used by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers as far back as 6,000 years ago, the first permanent settlers at the Jarlshof headland itself arrived around 2700 BC during the Neolithic period.
These early pioneers were farmers, and the location was chosen with exquisite care. The shallow bay of the West Voe provided a natural harbour for boats, access to abundant seafood like fish and shellfish, and precious stones for building. Nearby freshwater springs and fertile land for cultivation made it an ideal place to establish a community. The remains of their oval-shaped house, partly subterranean for stability and insulation, have been uncovered, along with fascinating artefacts that speak of a sophisticated culture. These include an eagle’s talon pierced for use as a pendant and an intricately carved bone plaque, proving that a sense of style and artistry existed here over 4,700 years ago.
The Metalworkers: Bronze Age Continuity (2000 BC – 800 BC)
The settlement continued to thrive into the Bronze Age, from around 2000 BC. The inhabitants lived in distinctive oval houses with thick stone walls, often reinforced and insulated by midden material (domestic waste). Their diet, revealed by these middens, consisted of grain, cattle, sheep, and a significant amount of shellfish.
One of the most significant Bronze Age discoveries at Jarlshof is a smithy, dating to around 800 BC. Here, a skilled metalsmith worked with a charcoal hearth, pouring molten bronze into clay moulds to cast tools, weapons, and pins. This discovery revealed astonishing prehistoric trade links. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. While copper could be found locally, the nearest source of tin was in Cornwall, England—some 900 miles away. This implies that the community at Jarlshof was part of a vast maritime trade network, far from being an isolated outpost.
The Tower Builders: Iron Age Fortification (c. 200 BC)
After a period of abandonment indicated by a layer of sterile sand covering the Bronze Age structures, a new wave of settlers arrived in the Iron Age. They built dramatically closer to the sea, constructing a massive round stone tower known as a broch around 200 BC.
This impressive structure, which would have originally stood over 13 meters (40 feet) high, was a symbol of power and prestige. Today, coastal erosion has claimed half of the broch, offering a unique cross-sectional view of its sophisticated double-skinned wall construction. The broch was soon surrounded by other buildings, including a large aisled roundhouse and a byre for livestock.
The Wheelhouses: Pictish Ingenuity (c. 100 BC onwards)
As the broch era declined, its stone was quarried to build a new type of home: the wheelhouse. Constructed from around 100 BC onwards, these were ingenious circular buildings with a central hearth and radial stone piers dividing the interior into cosy, cell-like compartments, resembling the spokes of a wheel when viewed from above.
The Jarlshof wheelhouses are among the best-preserved examples anywhere, with some still featuring their original corbelled stone roofs. This architectural design was a masterstroke of adaptation, using abundant local stone to minimise the need for scarce timber, which was mostly driftwood. Evidence from this period, including a slate painted with a Christian cross, suggests these structures were occupied into the Pictish era (c. AD 500-800), bridging the gap between the Iron Age and the Norse arrival.
The Seafarers: Norse Settlement (c. 850 AD)
The next major chapter began in the 9th century when Norse Vikings arrived from Norway, just a two-day sail away. Their settlement marked a dramatic architectural and cultural shift from round to rectangular buildings. They established a farmstead centred on a 20-meter-long longhouse, the first of its kind to be confirmed in the British Isles.
This was not a base for raiding warriors but a thriving domestic settlement that expanded over 12 to 16 generations, from the 9th to the 14th centuries. The Norse inhabitants farmed sheep, cattle, pigs, and the native Shetland ponies, fished for cod and ling in deep waters, and wove wool using some of the 150 loom weights found on site. Their settlement grew to include multiple longhouses, outbuildings, and even a possible sauna.
The Final Chapters: Medieval Farm to Laird’s House (1300 AD – 1700 AD)
The Norse era gradually evolved into the medieval period. By the late 13th century, their longhouses were replaced by a medieval farmhouse with a circular grain kiln. The final architectural layer was added after 1469, when Shetland was transferred from Norway to Scotland as part of a royal marriage dowry.
Scottish lairds took control, and in the late 1500s or early 1600s, the infamous Earl Patrick Stewart built the “Old House of Sumburgh,” a fortified manor house that now dominates the site. Its ruinous state inspired Sir Walter Scott to name the entire site “Jarlshof” (Earl’s House) in his 1822 novel The Pirate, though no Norse Jarl ever lived there. By 1700, the house was abandoned, and the site was slowly buried by sand until a great storm in 1896-97 exposed the ancient structures hidden below, setting the stage for the archaeological excavations that would reveal its incredible, 5,000-year story.
Timeline of Continuous Habitation at Jarlshof
| Period | Approximate Date | Key Features & Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| Neolithic | 2700 BC | First farmers, oval house, carved bone jewellery, pottery. |
| Bronze Age | 2000 BC – 800 BC | Oval houses, smithy (requiring tin from Cornwall), midden deposits. |
| Iron Age | 200 BC | Construction of the broch (half lost to erosion), defensive structures. |
| Pictish Era | 100 BC – 800 AD | Ingenious wheelhouses with corbelled roofs, Christian symbols. |
| Norse Period | 850 AD – 1300 AD | Rectangular longhouses, farmstead, deep-water fishing, loom weights. |
| Medieval | 1300 AD | Stone farmhouse with grain kiln, evolution from Norse design. |
| Scottish Era | 1600 AD | “Old House of Sumburgh” built by Earl Patrick Stewart. |
| Abandonment | 1700 AD | Site abandoned and slowly buried by sand until its rediscovery. |
Conclusion: A Legacy in Layers
The settlement at Jarlshof is not defined by a single age but by its breathtaking continuum. Its true age is a palimpsest of 5,000 years of human ingenuity, adaptation, and survival. From the first Neolithic farmers to the Norse seafarers and the Scottish lairds, each generation built upon the foundations of the last, leaving behind a complex archaeological landscape that is without parallel. It is a place that truly grounds you, offering a humbling and inspirational perspective on our shared human journey through the millennia.