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Burnt mound in Baile Na Creige Thoir

Burnt mound

What is recorded here

Burnt mound in Baile Na Creige Thoir is a wide patch of dark soil and heat-shattered stones on a gently SW-facing slope, known for generations by the Ferguson family and still visible after rain. The local story claims it marks a battle between inhabitants of Scalp Mountain and Mouldy Hill, but the broken stones and scorched earth suggest something older and more everyday: people heating water, cooking, cleaning tools or gathering beside a lively place. That is what makes it memorable. The field has changed, a drain has cut through it and the boundary has exposed more stones, yet the mound remains a record of human heat and repetition.
On a gently SW-facing slope. This monument is located in the SE corner of a field which has recently been re-seeded. It comprises a large, irregularly-shaped area (dims. c.16m NE-SW; c.15m NW-SE) of dark soil with a small number of reddish, heat-shattered stones visible. The remainder of the soil in the field is generally light brown in colour. At the NE side of this area is a newly-dug narrow, shallow drain (Wth. 0.45m; D 0.2m) with an adjacent newly-constructed access laneway. On the floor of the drain the soil is much darker and there are at least six concentrations of heat-shattered stones. Immediately beyond the laneway is a field boundary aligned NW-SE. In its SW face is a length of darker soil interspersed with numerous heat-shattered stones (L c.8.5m; H c.0.5m). This is not visible in the NE face. No other features or artifacts were identified. The landowner, Mr. Ferguson, told me that the extent of the monument, the remains in the drain and the section in the field boundary were much clearer when the field was wet following rainfall. Mr. Ferguson said that this monument had been known about by his family for generations. He also told me of a local tradition that this is the location of a battle between inhabitants of Scalp Mountain and Mouldy Hill, both of which are located a short distance from the monument. This is almost certainly the remains of a burnt mound or fulacht fia. Compiled by: Patrick F. O'Donovan Date of upload: 04 October 2013
Burnt mound, likely dating to the Bronze Age. These features are commonly associated with ritual or industrial activities, such as heat-treated stone use in cooking or hide processing.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

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