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Linga Holm is a mound located in Orkney, Scotland, situated on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone formed during the Middle Devonian period. The underlying geology comprises conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone characteristic of this epoch, which shaped both the landscape and the building materials available to the monument's constructors. The mound itself represents a significant archaeological feature within Orkney's rich heritage of prehistoric and Iron Age settlements.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1399, reflecting its importance to our understanding of settlement patterns and land use in the Orkney Islands. Mounds of this type frequently conceal occupation deposits, structural remains and domestic refuse spanning considerable periods, offering valuable evidence of how communities organised their settlements and exploited their environment across multiple generations.
The survival of Linga Holm within the Orkney landscape, built upon the solid geological foundation of Old Red Sandstone bedrock, demonstrates the enduring nature of these earthworks. Such mounds continue to provide archaeologists with opportunities to investigate the lives and activities of earlier inhabitants through careful excavation and analysis of the cultural material preserved within their depths.
Linga Holm,mound is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1399. View the official record →
Linga Holm is a mound located in Orkney, Scotland, situated on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone formed during the Middle Devonian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1399.
Linga Holm,mound 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 SM1399.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Linga Holm,two cairns (0.3 km), Lochend,chambered cairn 450m NW of,Stronsay (2.6 km), Oram's Fancy,two cairns 250m NW of Sandybank (2.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Linga Holm,mound'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.
Linga Holm,mound stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.