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Lower Cornquoy Barrow is a Neolithic or Bronze Age burial mound located on the island of Hoy in Orkney, 225 metres south-southeast of the settlement of Lower Cornquoy. The monument sits on bedrock composed of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a mixed sequence of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone dating to the Middle Devonian period. This geological foundation, typical of Orkney's landscape, would have provided the builder's material for constructing the mound itself, gathered from the surrounding terrain.
The barrow represents an important element of Orkney's prehistoric funerary practices, when communities marked significant burial sites with substantial earthwork monuments. The monument is scheduled under Historic Environment Scotland's protection (reference SM6153), recognising its archaeological importance and preserving it for future research and public understanding of Orkney's Neolithic and Bronze Age societies.
Today, the barrow survives as a physical record of ancient burial customs and the relationship between Orkney's prehistoric inhabitants and their distinctive local landscape. Its presence contributes to the archaeological heritage of the islands, forming part of the complex pattern of monuments that chart human settlement and ritual practice across several thousand years.
Lower Cornquoy, barrow 225m SSE of, Holm is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6153. View the official record →
Lower Cornquoy Barrow is a Neolithic or Bronze Age burial mound located on the island of Hoy in Orkney, 225 metres south-southeast of the settlement of Lower Cornquoy. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6153.
Lower Cornquoy, barrow 225m SSE of, Holm 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 SM6153.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including North Cairn,chambered cairn,Rose Ness (0.5 km), Castle Howe, Norse Castle and prehistoric settlement (1.2 km), East Broch of Burray (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lower Cornquoy, barrow 225m SSE of, Holm'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.
Lower Cornquoy, barrow 225m SSE of, Holm stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.