Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2006, Page 32

Steffen Stummann Hansen and John Sheehan
Figure 2. Photo ofthe Bonhústoftin church site in Leirvík, seen from approximately west. Photo:
S. Stummann Hansen.
death of thirty-nine inhabitants of Leir-
vík in a smallpox epidemic in 17252.
Finally, there is a tradition concerning a
local man, who drowned at sea in 1877.
His body eventually drifted ashore, but
without one of its arms, and it was bur-
ied in the churchyard in the neighbour-
ing village of Fuglaíjorður. The missing
arm was later recovered and, interest-
ingly, buried at the Leirvík Bonhústoft-
in3.
Description
The village of Leirvík is situated on
the north-eastern shore of the Gotunes
peninsula, on the island of Eysturoy. It is
located in a fairly level area, open to the
sea at the north, and is defined by two
high mountains - Ritujjall and Sigatindur
- at the south. The site consists of a sub-
circular enclosure containing the sod-cov-
ered remains of a centrally located build-
ing. The field in which it is located slopes
down northwards and features a number
of small drainage ditches, locally referred
to as veitir (Figs. 2-3).
The enclosure measures 19.5 m
north-south by 19.2 m east-west, inter-
nally. Its enclosing element consists of
an earthen bank with an entrance gap,
measuring 0.5 m in width, at west. The
bank is very well preserved from the
entrance towards the south. Along this
stretch it survives as a flat-topped bank
averaging 0.45 m in external height,
0.2 m in internal height and 0.75 m in
basal width. At south its external side
has been scarped back to form an almost
2 Dahl incorrectly refers this event to 1736 in his reference to the site (Trap 1968, 290). Thus a record of October 4th
1725 states that this year 11 men, 14 women and 16 children died from smallpox. Faroese National Archives (Færo Amt
- Indkomne Breve til Stifsbefalingsmanden 1723-25).
3 Pers. com., Páll Mikkelsen, Tórshavn.
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