The area to the west of the battery was the former rifle range. The first Orkney Artillery Volunteer Corp was set up in 1860 in Kirkwall in response to the threat of French invasion. Colonel F. W. Traill Burroughs of Trumland in Rousay was later appointed the Commanding Officer and the Rousay company was established in 1874. The Orcadian newspaper reported on their first gun practice in August 1875, mentioning the high standard of shooting. The volunteers practiced firing at a target moored off Wyre, which was sometimes towed to give them practice at firing at a moving target. The company was short-lived, as it transferred to Kirkwall in 1887 and the cannons were removed around 1900.
Avelshay Battery - First Edition Ordnance Survey map courtesy of National Library of Scotland, Avelshay battery buildings
