Description

This monument is a burnt mound, a prehistoric monument comprising burnt stones and charcoal frequently covering the remains of associated structures. Timber has previously been exposed at the site, which may indicate the preserved remains of a wood-lined trough. It is situated in pasture at the foot of a knoll on the N bank of a burn and NE of a marsh.

The monument is concentric on plan with a hollow in its open side, facing S into the burn. It measures 7m from E to W by 5m transversely, and is about 0.5m high to the W.

The area to be scheduled measures 10m in diameter, centred on the burnt mound, as marked in red on the accompanying map. The fence to the west is excluded from the scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument's archaeological significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics: This monument is a well-preserved archaeological site with upstanding remains and possibly has preserved wooden features. There is a high likelihood of further associated well-preserved sub-surface remains. It has a typical location for this class of monument, situated adjacent to a burn. It has the potential to provide information about socio-economic structures of the prehistoric or early historic communities that built them, as well as about the environments in which they lived, farmed, gathered and hunted.

Contextual characteristics: This monument is one of only ten burnt mounds identified in NE Scotland. Similarities and differences in date, form and use between examples of this class of monuments have the potential to provide information about interactions between members of the society that built them, and between communities in this area and in the rest of Scotland.

National Importance: This monument is of national importance because it is a well-preserved example of this monument type in an area where they do not appear to have been common, or have yet to be identified. It is also a typical representative of its class. This monument has the potential to answer questions about why burnt mounds may not have been built frequently in the region and answer specific questions about local communities, how they lived and interacted with the world and people around them. The loss of this example would severely restrict the ability to study these interactions.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

The monument is recorded by RCAHMS as NJ30NE 31.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland