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Dwarfie Stane is a rock-cut tomb located on the island of Hoy in Orkney. Carved from the Upper Old Red Sandstone bedrock that underlies the site, this monument represents a rare Scottish example of a chambered burial structure created entirely within living rock rather than constructed from stone blocks. The sandstone, conglomerate and siltstone that form Hoy's geology provided the material for this prehistoric undertaking, a task requiring considerable labour and technical skill with stone tools.
The tomb comprises a burial chamber accessed through a low entrance passage, typical of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary architecture in northern Britain. The specific challenges posed by working directly into the local sandstone bedrock distinguish this monument from the more common chambered cairns found elsewhere in Orkney, where stone was readily available for traditional construction.
Now protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM90122, Dwarfie Stane remains the finest and most substantial rock-cut tomb in Scotland, offering insight into the varied burial practices and engineering capabilities of prehistoric communities in the northern islands.
Dwarfie Stane, rock-cut tomb, Hoy is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90122. View the official record →
Dwarfie Stane is a rock-cut tomb located on the island of Hoy in Orkney. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90122.
Dwarfie Stane, rock-cut tomb, Hoy 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 SM90122.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Whaness Burn, enclosed settlement 1420m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy (1.4 km), Whaness Burn, enclosure 1620m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy (1.6 km), Whaness Burn, enclosure 1680m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy (1.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dwarfie Stane, rock-cut tomb, Hoy'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.
Dwarfie Stane, rock-cut tomb, Hoy stands on Upper Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.