Reasons for Designation
A burnt mound is an accumulation of burnt (fire-crazed) stones, ash and
charcoal, usually sited next to a river or lake. On excavation, some form of
trough or basin capable of holding water is normally found in close
association with the mound. The size of the mound can vary considerably; small
examples may be under 0.5m high and less than 10m in diameter, larger examples
may exceed 3m in height and be 35m in diameter. The shape of the mound ranges
from circular to crescentic. The associated trough or basin may be found
within the body of the mound or, more usually, immediately adjacent to it. At
sites which are crescentic in shape the trough is normally found within the
`arms' of the crescent and the mound has the appearance of having developed
around it.
The main phase of use of burnt mounds spans the Early, Middle and Late Bronze
Age, a period of around 1000 years. The function of the mounds has been a
matter of some debate, but it appears that cooking, using heated stones to
boil water in a trough or tank, is the most likely use. Some excavated sites
have revealed several phases of construction, indicating that individual sites
were used more than once.
Burnt mounds are found widely scattered throughout the British Isles, with
around 100 examples identified in England. As a rare monument type which
provides an insight into life in the Bronze Age, all well-preserved examples
will normally be identified as nationally important.
The burnt mounds at Moseley Bog, 380m north east of Moseley New Pool are
well-preserved examples of a pair of mounds located adjacent to a water source
They are expected to preserve evidence for their construction and use, as well
as evidence of associated settlement remains and buried land surfaces which
will provide important evidence of their relationship to Bronze Age society.
In addition the waterlogged conditions will preserve environmental and organic
evidence such as weeds, pollen and seeds which will further our understanding
of the prehistoric environment surrounding these sites.
Details
The monument includes the known extent of the buried and earthwork remains of
two burnt mounds at Moseley Bog. Located in an area of public open space lying
adjacent to the banks of the Coldbath Brook, orientated east to west, the
mounds include two deposits of burnt and heat-crazed cobbles approximately
11m apart from centre to centre, which straddle the Brook. The westernmost
mound is concentrated largely to the south of the Brook and is approximately
circular and about 13m in diameter. The easternmost mound is visible in
section on the north bank of the stream and is smaller, measuring
approximately 3.3m in section in section.
The matrix of the westernmost mound, composed of compacted stones up to 0.7m
deep, has been exposed in the banks of the stream and overlies an orange
siltey clay base. A resistivity survey in 1998 confirmed the extent of the
westernmost mound on the north side of the stream and located a possible
former stream channel to its north. Whilst on the south side of the stream an
area of low resistance may indicate the location of a pit or trough lying
beneath the easternmost mound. Carbon 14 dates have confirmed that the
deposits are approximately 3000 years old.
The modern timber walkway and stream revetment are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 5 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.
