MEM25566 - Early Bronze Age burnt mound at Halscombe Allotment (Monument)

An irregular turf-covered stoney mound was recorded during archaeological walkover survey in advance of peatland restoration work at Halscombe Allotment in September 2023 and drawn at 1:100 in November 2023. A subsequent geophysical investigation revealed that the mound coincided with a strong magnetic response consistent with past burning. These results, combined with the morphology of the feature and its location adjacent to a stream, suggest an interpretation as a burnt mound of possible prehistoric date.

An irregular turf-covered stoney mound was recorded during archaeological walkover survey in advance of peatland restoration work at Halscombe Allotment in September 2023.The mound is situated adjacent to a stream at the base of a combe, centred at approximate NGR: SS 81600 33723. It measures 9.5m NE-SW by 6.5m NW-SE and is up to 0.80m high on the side closest to the stream. It is 0.20m high on its upslope side where valley side rises to the southwest. The feature was interpreted as a possible prehistoric burnt mound.[1] A measured earthwork survey of the mound was undertaken in November 2023 at 1:100, which gave confidence to the interpretation of the feature.[2] Substrata were commissioned by the South West Peatland Partnership to conduct an archaeological magnetometer survey of the feature. In December 2023. The stony mound which was the focal point of the survey elicited a strong positive magnetic response, the shape of the anomaly corresponding largely with the footprint of the earthwork itself. The response suggests this was an area of burning in the past. A stronger signal at one particular point within the larger anomaly possibly suggests an area of prolonged/ extreme past heating. Another possible interpretation is a buried modern ferrous object. On the whole the responses across the stony mound are consistent with the prior interpretation of the earthwork as a potential burnt mound, the latter often found in association with hearths. It was noted there is not a 1:1 correspondence of geophysical anomaly to earthwork feature which may suggest the earthwork is not homogenous in construction, i.e. some of the material is magnetically enhanced, some is not. Survey of the area peripheral to the mound indicates the possible presence of archaeological features here, in particular two potential ditches and some pits, however these are all magnetically subtle and may be natural geological formations.[3] Following on from the geophysical survey, in July 2024 the South West Peatland Partnership commenced an excavation to evaluate and contextualise the feature. The excavation confirmed that the mound conforms to all the characteristics of a burnt mound, with a single trench excavated to a maximum depth of approximately 0.5m, although this did not reach the base of the mound. The evaluation revealed compact deposits of heat-affected stone and charcoal, which were excavated and sampled in spits to recover material for charcoal assessment and radiocarbon dating. Two pieces of oak roundwood recovered from the mound were radiocarbon dated to the Early Bronze Age 2272-2031 Cal BC (UBA-55310) and 2199-1980 Cal BC (UBA-55311), further confirmation of the mound's identification as a Bronze Age burnt mound. Charcoal analysis indicates that oak was the preferred wood used for the heating of stones, despite the identification of waterlogged wood pieces including alder, birch, poplar/willow, and oak from an adjacent combe, which were dated between the Early Bronze Age and Iron Age. The absence of these taxa in the charcoal assemblage suggests a deliberate preference of oak for the burnt mound activities at this location. [4]