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Burn of Mussetter is a Bronze Age standing stone situated on the eastern side of its namesake burn in Orkney, Scotland. The monument stands upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a conglomerate formation of the Middle Devonian period that comprises interbedded sandstone, siltstone and mudstone typical of Orkney's geology. This stone type, exposed across much of the islands, would have been readily available to Bronze Age communities for monument construction, though the effort required to raise and position such a stone indicates considerable labour investment and communal significance.
Standing stones of this period are among the most enduring monuments of prehistoric Orkney, their purposes likely encompassing territorial markers, ritual functions, or commemoration of the dead. The burn's proximity may have held practical or ceremonial importance, as water sources frequently feature in the siting of Bronze Age monuments across Scotland.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM1356, ensuring its preservation as an important archaeological and landscape feature of Orkney's Bronze Age heritage.
Burn of Mussetter,standing stone on E side of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1356. View the official record →
Burn of Mussetter is a Bronze Age standing stone situated on the eastern side of its namesake burn in Orkney, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1356.
Burn of Mussetter,standing stone on E side of dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a standing stone on e side of. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Burn of Mussetter,standing stone on E side of 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 SM1356.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Sandhill, chambered cairn 300m W of, Eday (0.5 km), Eday Church Hall, chambered cairn 260m WNW of (0.6 km), The Manse, chambered cairn and church 330m WNW of, Eday (0.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Burn of Mussetter,standing stone on E side of'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.
Burn of Mussetter,standing stone on E side of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.