Burnt mound

The National Monuments Service's description

In an area of marginal, damp boggy land, much of it now under forestry, located on ground that slopes down to the Fiddaunglass, a tributary stream of the River Deel, which lies c. 50m to ENE. Three other burnt mounds are located nearby along the banks of the stream, two (MA038-205----; MA038-206----) c. 55m to NE, and a third (MA038-207----) c. 90m to NNE, all within coniferous plantation.
This burnt spread was discovered in December 2011 during archaeological monitoring of an afforestation project. It was uncovered directly below the topsoil, at a depth of 0.05-0.15m below the surface, within a trench (Wth 1m) excavated as part of the mounding for the afforestation. It appeared as a layer (L 5-6m ENE/WSW) of heat-shattered, fist-sized rocks and blackened soil with occasional charcoal. The layer was not evident in parallel trenches excavated at a distance of 7.5-8m to the NNW and to the SSE. The section of trench containing the burnt mound was back-filled by hand and a 15m exclusion zone fenced off within which no planting will take place.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 16th January 2012