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Pickaquoy burnt mound and settlement is a prehistoric monument located in Orkney, Scotland. Burnt mounds are distinctive archaeological features comprising heaps of heat-fractured stone and charred material, typically dating from the Bronze Age and Iron Age periods. The mound at Pickaquoy sits upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, formed during the Middle Devonian period, which consists of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This geological foundation has shaped both the landscape and the availability of stone for burning.
The site represents a dual-function settlement, combining a burnt mound with associated domestic occupation. Such settlements were commonly used for communal activities including cooking, water heating and possibly textile production, with the burnt mound recording repeated episodes of heating stone for practical purposes. The adjacent settlement areas would have housed the inhabitants who carried out these essential domestic tasks.
Pickaquoy is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM4346, reflecting its importance to understanding Bronze Age and Iron Age life in Orkney. The preservation of this site allows future archaeological investigation to develop further understanding of settlement patterns and daily activities in prehistoric Orkney.
Pickaquoy,burnt mound & settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4346. View the official record →
Pickaquoy burnt mound and settlement is a prehistoric monument located in Orkney, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4346.
Pickaquoy,burnt mound & settlement 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 SM4346.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Grain Earth House and Grainbank, two souterrains, Hatston (0.4 km), Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall (0.9 km), Earl's Palace, Kirkwall (1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Pickaquoy,burnt mound & settlement'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.
Pickaquoy,burnt mound & settlement stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.