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Groundwater is a burial mound cemetery situated on the Orkney mainland some 500 metres to the east-north-east of a companion mound group. The monument comprises multiple earthen mounds raised over interred remains, representing a burial practice widespread across Orkney during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. The mounds rest upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a conglomerate and sandstone formation laid down in the Middle Devonian period approximately 380 million years ago, which here comprises interbedded siltstone and mudstone. This stable geological substrate provided an enduring foundation for the ceremonial earthworks.
The juxtaposition of Groundwater with the nearby mound group suggests a landscape deliberately structured for ritual burial and commemoration across an extended period. Such clustered cemeteries are characteristic of Orkney's prehistoric funerary traditions, where successive generations interred their dead within the same territorial locality. The placement of these monuments upon the Devonian bedrock exemplifies how Orkney's communities adapted their funerary practices to the island's distinctive geology and topography.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1351, recognising its archaeological significance and contribution to understanding prehistoric Orkney society and death ritual practices across the islands.
Groundwater, burial mounds 500m ENE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1351. View the official record →
Groundwater is a burial mound cemetery situated on the Orkney mainland some 500 metres to the east-north-east of a companion mound group. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1351.
Groundwater, burial mounds 500m ENE 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 SM1351.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Groundwater, mound 200m NNW of, Loch of Kirbister (0.5 km), Loch of Kirbister,enclosures on Holm of Groundwater (0.7 km), Cuween Hill, chambered cairn (4.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Groundwater, burial mounds 500m ENE 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.
Groundwater, burial mounds 500m ENE of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.