The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

     

Weacombe Hill

Round Barrow(s)

Also known as:
  • Monument No. 189933

Nearest Town:Williton (5km W)
OS Ref (GB):   ST128399 / Sheet: 181
Latitude:51° 9' 4.1" N
Longitude:   3° 14' 48.84" W

Added by Rhiannon


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Folklore

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There are three round barrows and two cairns here on the moorland at the top of Weacombe Hill, on the neck of land between Sheppard's Combe and Bicknoller Combe. Ruth Tongue has a story about this very spot:
[This] story was told me by a very sweet and gentle cottager who had once had occasion to climb the Quantocks late one winter afternoon. When he had climbed Weacombe to the top the sea mist came down, and he felt he might be frozen to death before he got home. But as he was groping along he suddenly touched shaggy fur and thought that old Shep, his sheep-dog, had come out to look for him. 'Good dog, Shep. Whoame, boy!' he said. The dog turned and led him right to his cottage door, where he heard his own dog barking inside. Heturned to look at the dog who had guided him, which grew gradually larger and then faded away. 'It was the Black Dog, God bless it!' he would always say.
Black Dogs are not always so friendly - it's nice to hear that some of them can be so helpful. Perhaps he uses one of the barrows as his kennel.

from 'Somerset Folklore' 1965
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
27th July 2005ce
Edited 18th August 2005ce

Miscellaneous

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Details of cairns on Pastscape

Three small mounds are situated on Weacombe Hill at ST 1149 4054, ST 1150 4055 and ST 1157 4046. The last has been truncated. They are composed of earth and stone and all are possibly barrows, though all are in or adjacent to old field
enclosures. (1) No change, surveyed at 1/2500. (2)
Three Bronze Age burial cairns lie on the NW end of Weacombe Hill. The NGRs given by authy 1 are erroneous. The northernmost cairn lies at ST 1151 4066. It comprises a flat-topped stony mound, 5m EW, 5.7m NS and 0.7m high. To the SW of this, at ST 1149 4065, is a further cairn. This is a flat-topped, stony mound 7.5m in diameter and 1m high. A hole in its centre, 2mx1mx0.5m deep, is probably an antiquarain excavation. The cairn has been damged by narrow ridge and furrow ploughing. A third cairn lies to the SE, at ST 1157 4058. It comprises a flat-toppped stony mound, 8m in diameter and 0.9m high. This cairn also appears to have been ploughed over. The cairns were recorded using differential GPS as part of the EH survey of the Quantock Hills AONB (3).
Chance Posted by Chance
11th April 2016ce