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Balneil burnt mound is a prehistoric cooking site located 650 metres east of Balneil in Wigtownshire, south-western Scotland. The monument consists of a mound of fire-cracked stone, a characteristic feature of burnt mounds dating to the Bronze Age and later periods. These structures were created by repeatedly heating stone in fires and then plunging the hot rocks into water-filled troughs to heat liquids for cooking, dyeing or bathing purposes.
The site sits on bedrock formed from wacke, a hardened sedimentary rock belonging to the Portpatrick and Glenwhargen Formations that was deposited during the Caradocian geological period, some 460 million years ago. This tough metamorphic stone would have been readily available locally for use in the monument's construction.
Burnt mounds are amongst Scotland's most common prehistoric monuments, yet their exact social and economic functions remain subjects of archaeological enquiry. The Balneil example represents an important part of the regional landscape's archaeological heritage. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the scheduling reference SM4891, ensuring its preservation for future study and public understanding.
Balneil,burnt mound 650m E of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4891. View the official record →
Balneil burnt mound is a prehistoric cooking site located 650 metres east of Balneil in Wigtownshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4891.
Balneil,burnt mound 650m E of is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM4891.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Glenwhan Moor, hut circles 1000m NE of Old Hall Farm (5.2 km), Glenluce Abbey (5.3 km), Castle of Park, castle, Glenluce (6.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Balneil,burnt mound 650m E of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Balneil,burnt mound 650m E of stands on Portpatrick Formation And Glenwhargen Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is wacke.