Maeshowe Chambered Cairn was excavated by James Farrer and George Petrie.

James Farrer (1812 to 1879) was a Conservative Party politician in England who was elected three times as the Member of Parliament for South Durham, between 1847 and 1865.
He was a member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and his excavations included partial excavation of Orkney Brochs from 1853; Maeshowe in 1861; and the first excavation of Chedworth Roman Villa, from 1864 to 1866.
George Petrie (1818-1875) was a leading Orcadian antiquarian who excavated numerous archaeological sites in the mid 19th century, on some occasions with James Farrer. He worked as the Factor of the Graemeshall Estate and Sheriff Clerk of Kirkwall. Orkney sites he worked on included Maeshowe Neolithic tomb, Skara Brae, numerous Iron Age brochs (e.g. Lingro, Shapinsay, Burray), Bronze Age barrows, cists, and Viking graves.

This is James's personal account of his excavation of "the whole of the rubbish filling the chamber".
I include it partly because it's fun.

https://orkneyriddler.blogspot.com/2025/06/maeshowe-wonder-of-neolithic-world.html

#archaeology #Maeshowe #Orkney #Chambered #Cairn #neolithic #prehistoric