Lady Eliza D'Oyly Traill-Burroughs (née Geddes, 9 May 1849 – 1 February 1908) was a British archaeologist. She described the discovery of Taversöe Tuick chambered cairn on the island of

Rousay Rousay (, ; meaning Rolf's Island) is a small, hilly island about north of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. It has been nicknamed "Egypt of the north", due to its archaeological diversity and importance. Like its ...

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, Scotland in May 1898 in her journal, which was published and discussed in '' Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland '' in 1985. She was born in 1849 in Leamington Priors, Warwickshire and grew up in the Meadows in Edinburgh. Eliza was the daughter of Colonel William Geddes of the

Bengal Horse Artillery The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Gover ...

and his wife Emma. Aged 21, she married Lt-General Sir

Frederick Traill-Burroughs Sir Frederick William Traill-Burroughs (born Burroughs; 1 February 1831 – 9 April 1905) was a British Army officer. He was born in British India, fought in Crimea at the Battle of Alma, at the siege town of Lucknow in India and in the No ...

(1831-1905) on 4 June 1870. He had inherited an estate on

, to which the couple moved. Eliza's interest in art, politics, and charity meant she was strongly involved in life on Orkney. In 1893, work began building their home, Trumland House, which is where the Taversoe Tuick Chambered Cairn was discovered in 1898. Eliza wrote a report on Taversoe Tuick, which provides a detailed chronological overview of the events leading up to the discovery and the excavation of the cairn, accompanied by sketches, plans, and measurements. Interestingly, Eliza signed off her report with 'Veronica' and not with her own name. In her later life, Eliza described the excavation as '...one of the most interesting events of my life: a pursuit I can cordially recommend to anyone in search of excitement!' The findings of the excavation were published in 1903 by Sir William Turner, but Eliza was only credited for her illustrations. Eliza's Taversoe Tuick report was transcribed and published in 1987 by Diana Reynolds. Eliza was commended for her standard of recording and contribution to archaeological research in Scotland, as her archaeological views continue to help archaeologists understand the site's chronology. There is a memorial stone in

St Magnus Cathedral St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Originally Roman Catholic, it is the oldest cathedral in Scotland and the most northerly cathedral in the ...

Kirkwall Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub wi ...

, with the words "Erected in loving memory of Sir Frederick W. Traill-Burroughs ... Also to the memory of his wife Lady Eliza Doyly Traill Burroughs, his faithful companion through storm and sunshine ... Erected by her devoted niece Lady Sinclair of Dunbeath".

References

1849 births 1908 deaths Scottish archaeologists British women archaeologists People from Orkney Wives of knights {{UK-archaeologist-stub