Deliberate Damage: a Brief Exploration of Intentional Burn Marks
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Intentional burn marks can be found in a variety of contexts throughout England from historic homes to medieval churches. They vary in size, and in many cases they can be found in groups or clusters on a single piece of structural timber or wooden furnishing. These marks are unique to wood, and they show an interesting relationship between past communities and the wood that was in their spaces, as similar systematic burning does not appear to occur on metal, stone, or glass. Recent studies into graffiti and mark making have drawn attention to these intentional burn marks; however, few reasons have been given for their creation. This paper seeks to explore different potential reasons for the creation of these marks and to demonstrate that the meanings and reasons for their presence may vary depending on the context of the building.
Author: Crystal Hollis
Institution: University of Exeter
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4416975337
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