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Whaness Burn is a post-medieval enclosure located 1620 metres north-northeast of the Dwarfie Stane on the island of Hoy in Orkney. The monument sits on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, formed during the Middle Devonian period, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This geological foundation shaped the landscape in which the enclosure was constructed and would have influenced the practicalities of settlement and land management in this exposed upland setting.
The enclosure represents the post-medieval period of land use on Hoy, when farming practices and pastoral management required defined boundaries for stock control and cultivation. Its proximity to the Dwarfie Stane, a notable prehistoric chambered cairn, places it within a landscape rich in archaeological heritage spanning millennia. The structure reflects the agricultural economy and settlement patterns of early modern Orkney.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8664, recognising its importance to the archaeological record of Hoy and the Orkney Islands. The enclosure contributes to the understanding of how communities organised their land and resources during the post-medieval period on these northern islands.
Whaness Burn, enclosure 1620m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8664. View the official record →
Whaness Burn is a post-medieval enclosure located 1620 metres north-northeast of the Dwarfie Stane on the island of Hoy in Orkney. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8664.
Whaness Burn, enclosure 1620m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a enclosure 1620m nne of dwarfie stane, hoy. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Whaness Burn, enclosure 1620m 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 SM8664.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Whaness Burn, enclosure 1680m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy (0.2 km), Whaness Burn, enclosed settlement 1420m NNE of Dwarfie Stane, Hoy (0.3 km), Dwarfie Stane, rock-cut tomb, Hoy (1.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Whaness Burn, enclosure 1620m 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, enclosure 1620m 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.