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Burnt Mound on Rhossili Down is a prehistoric burnt mound located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument (GM476). Burnt mounds are commonly found across Britain and Ireland and date principally to the Bronze Age, though their precise function remains debated. These archaeological features consist of substantial accumulations of heat-cracked stone, typically found in association with shallow pits or troughs, and may relate to water heating for cooking, bathing, or industrial processes such as hide-working or brewing.
The mound sits upon Upper Devonian sandstones and conglomerates that form the bedrock of Rhossili Down. These interbedded rocks were deposited during the Late Devonian period, some 360 million years ago, creating the geological foundation upon which Bronze Age peoples later worked. The local stone would have been readily available to those who constructed the burnt mound, providing the raw material for the heating practices that created this distinctive monument.
The survival of Burnt Mound on Rhossili Down offers an important record of prehistoric land use in this part of Wales. Such monuments are relatively common in upland areas, indicating that Bronze Age communities exploited these elevated landscapes. The protected status of this site ensures that future study may contribute further understanding of daily life and economic practices during this distant period of Welsh prehistory.
Burnt Mound on Rhossili Down is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM476. View the official record →
Burnt Mound on Rhossili Down is a prehistoric burnt mound located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument (GM476).
Burnt Mound on Rhossili Down dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a burnt mound. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Burnt Mound on Rhossili Down is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is GM476.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Old Castle Camp (2.7 km), Lewes Castle Promontory Fort (3.2 km), Thurba Camp (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Burnt Mound on Rhossili Down'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.
Burnt Mound on Rhossili Down stands on Upper Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.