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Lamb Holm is a medieval settlement located on the Orkney Islands, 450 metres west-southwest of the Italian Chapel. The site occupies ground underlain by Middle Devonian sandstone, interspersed with layers of siltstone and marl, geological formations that have shaped settlement patterns across Orkney for millennia. This bedrock has provided both building stone and a naturally drained landscape suited to medieval occupation.
The settlement belongs to the dispersed pattern of medieval rural habitation characteristic of Orkney, where communities established themselves on modest scales across the archipelago's islands. Such sites typically comprised domestic structures and associated agricultural land, reflecting the self-sufficient economy of medieval island communities. The proximity to the Italian Chapel—itself a later twentieth-century structure of considerable historical interest—places Lamb Holm within a landscape layered with different periods of human activity.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM6246, recognising its significance to understanding medieval settlement, land use and society in northern Scotland. The arrangement and remains visible on the ground contribute to the broader archaeological record of medieval Orkney, documenting how communities organised their settlements and exploited the islands' resources during the medieval period.
Lamb Holm,settlement 450m WSW of Italian Chapel is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6246. View the official record →
Lamb Holm is a medieval settlement located on the Orkney Islands, 450 metres west-southwest of the Italian Chapel. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6246.
Lamb Holm,settlement 450m WSW of Italian Chapel dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a settlement 450m wsw of italian chapel. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Lamb Holm,settlement 450m WSW of Italian Chapel 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 SM6246.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Holm Battery, coast artillery battery 195m SW of East Breckan (1.4 km), Loch of Ayre, broch at N end of,St Mary's (1.6 km), East Broch of Burray (1.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lamb Holm,settlement 450m WSW of Italian Chapel'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.
Lamb Holm,settlement 450m WSW of Italian Chapel stands on Middle Devonian sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is major:{sandstone}, Minor{siltstone,marl}.