Group of Burnt Mounds 300m SSW of Cilcoll Farm

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument consists of the remains of three burnt mounds, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2,300BC - 800BC). A burnt mound is an accumulation of burnt (fire-crazed) stones, ash and charcoal, usually sited next to a river or lake, with hearths and/or some form of trough or basin capable of holding water either within the mound or adjacent to it. The largest site lies just to the east of the stream and is crescentric in form, c 15m in diameter and up to 1.6m high. It is tree covered but masses of burnt debris and cracked rock show through the surface. Some 5m to the south is a second mound which is a low irregular oval c 15m by 9m and 0.3m high showing burnt debris and cracked rock at the surface. To the north-west the largest mound is a third mound which is partly truncated by the stream where burnt debris up to 0.5m deep may be seen. This mound is c 13m in diameter and 0.3m high.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric ritual and funerary practices. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and environmental evidence. A burnt mound may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.