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Bu of Orphir is a burnt mound and mill dam located 250 metres north-west of Bu Farm in Orkney, Scotland. Burnt mounds, known locally as "kistevaens" or more commonly elsewhere as "fulachta fiadh", are Bronze Age or Iron Age structures created by repeated heating and cooling of stone. This monument sits upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a conglomerate and sandstone formation dating to the Middle Devonian period, which would have provided suitable stone for burning and construction.
The site comprises two distinct elements: the burnt mound itself, a heap of fire-cracked stone accumulated through intensive heating processes, and an associated mill dam. The burnt stone typically accumulated where hot rocks were plunged into water-filled troughs for cooking food or processing materials, creating the characteristic mound of fractured debris. The proximity of the mill dam suggests later medieval or early modern use of the site for water management.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduled monument reference SM4725, recognising its archaeological significance within Orkney's landscape. The site contributes to understanding prehistoric settlement patterns and resource use in these northern islands, where such burnt mounds are known from both coastal and inland contexts.
Bu of Orphir, burnt mound and mill dam 250m NW of Bu Farm is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4725. View the official record →
Bu of Orphir is a burnt mound and mill dam located 250 metres north-west of Bu Farm in Orkney, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4725.
Bu of Orphir, burnt mound and mill dam 250m NW of Bu Farm is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM4725.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Lavacroon, settlement W of Bu of Orphir (0.2 km), St Nicholas' Church, settlement and mill, Orphir (0.4 km), Hillock of Breakna, broch 300m SE of Swanbister House (2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Bu of Orphir, burnt mound and mill dam 250m NW of Bu Farm's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Bu of Orphir, burnt mound and mill dam 250m NW of Bu Farm stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.