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Whaness Burn is an enclosed settlement located on the Orkney island of Hoy, approximately 1420 metres north-north-east of the Dwarfie Stane. The monument sits on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a geological formation dating to the Middle Devonian period comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This substantial underlying geology would have provided good drainage on the sloping terrain typical of Hoy's interior landscape.
The settlement's defining characteristic is its enclosure, which represents a deliberate act of demarcation and defence or stock management. Enclosed settlements of this type across Orkney typically date to the Iron Age or Norse period, though occupation may have extended across several centuries. The rocky terrain of Hoy, dominated by its distinctive sandstone geology, shaped settlement patterns and construction methods across the island.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8662, recognising its archaeological significance to understanding settlement and land use in Orkney. The proximity to the Dwarfie Stane, a Neolithic chambered cairn, indicates that this area of Hoy supported human activity across multiple periods of prehistory and early history.
Whaness Burn, enclosed settlement 1420m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8662. View the official record →
Whaness Burn is an enclosed settlement located on the Orkney island of Hoy, approximately 1420 metres north-north-east of the Dwarfie Stane. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8662.
Whaness Burn, enclosed settlement 1420m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy 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 SM8662.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Whaness Burn, enclosure 1620m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy (0.3 km), Whaness Burn, enclosure 1680m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy (0.3 km), Dwarfie Stane, rock-cut tomb, Hoy (1.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Whaness Burn, enclosed settlement 1420m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy'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.
Whaness Burn, enclosed settlement 1420m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.