Showing 1-20 of 56 fieldnotes. Most recent first | Next 20 
Visited Early Aug 2011
A pair of undisturbed and so, undated bowl barrows. These barrows sit beside the old coach road that once linked Salisbury with Marlborough. This section of the coach road may well be prehistoric as it runs between numerous ancient sites. The barrows are now protected by a border of stakes as is the nearby milestone. The barrows are listed as a Scheduled Monument number WI10181 and are listed on the Wiltshire SMR as SU24NW600 and SU24NW601. The milestone is also listed as SU24NW527.
Although these barrows are hardly impressive and nothing really worth seeing, they are an important landmark when travelling on this area of the plain, especially when calculating your position with the O.S. map. The coach road is also a dedicated public byway and regardless of other military traffic running around the area, should always be open to dedicated antiquarians.
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Visited 04/08/2011
Although this round barrow was probably a burial site associated with Ogbury Hillfort, which lies directly over the other side of the River Avon, the current trees have obstructed the view from one to the other.
I travelled up to the barrow from the bottom of Ogbury, past the church and the village pub. Just past this on the right is a bridleway which leads to the foot bridges across the river by great Durnford mill. Once over these narrow foot bridges, I followed what might well be an ancient track linking the two sites. This track had been recently 'stimmed' which made it appear like a round green tunnel. It was full of wildlife and I remember walking past some lovely walnut trees with fragrant leaves. Climbing to the top of the hill, the track opens out onto the Woodford road and the NCR 45. Directly over the road is a footpath which overlooks the earthworks of the deserted mediaeval village of Lake. Lake House Barrow is easy to reach from the start of this footpath although at the height of summer it is completely hidden by a high hedge which runs alongside the road.
Lake House itself is a fine Elizabethan structure and can clearly be viewed from the pasture beside the Barrow. This house was once home to the Rev. E. Duke who carried out a lot of early investigations into the ancient remains of the area. The current owner is an ex-police man by the name of Sumner. I think there was a birthday party on the day of my visit as a lot of limo's with blacked out windows came past me and into the grounds of the house. Security was present at the gates of the drive too.
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Visited Hiroshima Day 2011
This not one of those sites that you might happen upon during a Sunday afternoon drive in the country.
True it does lie by the side of a public highway, but the only traffic I saw on my visit was an armoured convoy of Mastiffs and Buffalos practicing their driving skills before carrying out the real thing in Afghanistan. The only guys I spoke to were on the other side of a 12ft high fence topped with razor wire and carrying loaded Sa80's. They were jovial enough once they realised I was one of those wired archo types who was just checking out the long barrow. One of them got quite excited when I told him there was no record of it ever being opened and it probably still contained the bodies of a Neolithic family from the time before Stonehenge.
The long barrow is a classic Neolithic one, from the early part of the period, being over 180ft long with clear evidence of the side ditches used to create it. It stands on the highest point of Knighton Down, orientated East/West, over looking the vast plain and its training area. To the left lies the Neolithic camp of Robin Hoods Ball with three more Neolithic long barrows, and beyond that, the Bustard Inn. As mentioned above, there is no record of this barrow being opened, although Dr. John Thurnam had been active in the area during his numerous excavations in 1863. The barrow has suffered some damage in more recent times, both from the O.S. who placed a concrete trig point right on top of the barrows' highest point, and the army who had driven a tracked vehicle up it's spine in order to reach the highest point in the area. The far end of the barrow also shows signs of being trenched by the army in the 1960's. Thankfully this kind of damage is now a thing of the past and a series of posts and signs surround the barrow and its side ditches, although the O.S. trig point remains.
If you decide to visit, I recommend you park parallel to the barrow as the road/track next to it is a busy convoy route. Expect to be challenged by armed security too as the barrow lies right next to the Royal Aircraft Establishment and there are highly secure areas only a few feet away. Access is via the Packway, either by the sports ground, just past Durrington Walls and up past the Stonehenge race course or opposite Durrington Down Plantation and the Fargo ammunition area. Consult the O.S. map for the Stonehenge area before you travel.
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Old Sarum could be considered as similar to Avebury in terms of its scale, both in its earthly size and its mysterious Lay-Line energy. It has also witnessed many events that have created the kingdom(s) we live in today.
The site is run by English Heritage, but it is only the inner section that the visitor is required to pay an entrance fee (£3.70) to experience. The site is a jewel-in-the-crown kinda place and you should check the EH Old Sarum events page before you decide to visit. The bulk of the site is open 24-7 and public foot paths allow access to all the Neolithic outer banks and ditches, just like Avebury. Parking in the car park is free, although you may be asked to move on at dusk. Boo. There is a campsite next to Old Sarum at Hudson's Field, Castle Road, Salisbury SP1 3RR (01722-320713)
An excellent network of cycle tracks lead directly from Salisbury City centre, the Railway Station and the Coach parks. These connect up to many of the monuments that make up the Stonehenge sacred landscape and the WHS.
The site is connected to the almost forgotten hillfort of Ogbury, a little further up the majestic Avon valley. This waterway and ancient highway is itself scattered with Tumuli all the way up to Vespasians Camp and the Stonehenge WHS. Although some like the Little Down Barrows at Great Durnford take a bit of finding among the vegetation, others such as the Lake House Barrow have been updated in more recent times.
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Fieldnotes - Early Aug 2011
If you can imagine Woodhenge without any concrete posts or The Sanctuary without any blocks, then you can image this site. Oh, and the only plan you get is on the O.S. map, and just the description of the site as below.
Although this site sits just inside the MOD training area, it is very easy to reach and parking is not a problem. I found the wooded area next to the henge to be very tranquil on the day of my visit which pleased me somewhat.
Go armed with the O.S. Explorer 131 map. The whole area is littered with dozens of TMA sites to explore and the old Marlborough coach road which runs next to the site can be driven down when training exercises are not being held.
Be warned, even though you might have the legal right to drive your vehicle down these ancient trackways, they are rough and your vehicle might not be suitable. You might have saved yourself on car insurance but don't get epic out here and put it to the test.
These days it's not common for a village to still have a functioning pub but the one that use to serve the old coach road is still doing a good trade in accommodation 200 years on. The coach road may be just a track but the Crown Hotel, Everleigh SN8 3EY (01264 850939) keeps on providing a good bed in old wild Wiltshire. As their website says "The Crown Hotel has now been restyled into new Rhodesian based Hotel and Village pub, yet still keeping the traditional English heritage and history, also known as "The Flame Lily Hotel".
If you come with a couple of mountain bikes, you could explore all the way down the Devils Ditch or cut out to Hot Cross bun for a day. The area around Sidbury Hill contains mucho TMA.
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Visited Early Aug 2011
The O.S. map shows this flat topped, ditched bowl barrow as having a overall diameter of c50m, although it doesn't fell that significant when your standing next to it, but it is positioned at the top of a nice hill. Surrounded by a planted bank of trees it makes a welcome shady spot on a hot summer's day.
The "compound" next to the barrow, made from shipping containers, is part of the current use the training area is now being put to. This is a major position on the military sat-nav for Warthog convoys and Apache attack helicopters.
Below this barrow, just inside the military danger area lays the source of the Nine Mile River and the old Marlborough coach road.
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Visited 05/08/2011
Although clearly marked on the O.S. map as Ratfyn Barrow, I had initial difficulty locating this barrow. After searching around the area I realised it was tucked away in the garden of a 1930's house. You can just glimpse the top of the barrow over a fence as you reach the crest of the hill between London road and the top of Lords Walk. The pictures here were taken from the garden gate and as I couldn't see anyone at home, I didn't bother to ask permission for a closer look. The side of the barrow facing the house seemed well manicured but the back facing the fence did look a little wild with plenty of Verbascum thapsus (Great or Common Mullein) sprouting out of the mound. An interesting garden feature.
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Visited 10th April 2011
Stopped and visited this barrow which lies just off the A345 between Netheravon and Figheldean. Barrow is situated in a pasture behind a cottage.
Wiltshire and Swindon Sites and Monument Record class it as an oval barrow, similar to Silver Barrow.
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/11962/silver_barrow.html
These barrows are thought to be a transitional type between the small, late Neolithic long barrows and the more common Bell and Bowl barrows. O.G.S. Crawford said it was a long barrow and marked it down as such on his 6" map.
William Hawley opened the barrow in 1910 and found a barbed and tanged arrowhead together with a few pottery sherds. The barrow was measured as 28 paces in diameter by L.V. Grinsell and listed in the Victoria County History in 1957.
I found it to be uninspiring and lacking in any vibes. It may have been disturbed by the army at some time for it now has the "Star of David" sign to ward off those trenching squaddies.
The name "Gallows" refers to a gallows which was erected in the field next to the barrow. The road was used by coaches before being taken over by the army. A policeman was killed by another policeman near here on 1st April 1913 but the gallows were not needed then.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCUQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wiltshire.police.uk%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_docman%26task%3Ddoc_download%26gid%3D74%26Itemid%3D94&ei=srK1TaHKE9KGhQea1JnkDw&usg=AFQjCNEQSwx065HsUW1ds-YCTQyLEotbBA
The web link supplied below by the wysefool suggests that "Sarsen stones for Stonehenge were brought down this valley from the Marlborough downs and a mishap lead to one of them ending up at the bottom of the river Avon in Figheldean". I had a look around the river but couldn't see anything. Maybe this was the same stone that was in the river at Bulford?. May go back to search in the winter when vegetation dies back.
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The Alter stone lies just above the ground surface in the middle of Stonehenge.
The Altar Stone (80) is the largest of all the 'foreign stones' at Stonehenge. It is a rectangular recumbent block of sandstone, 16 ft. long by 3.5 ft. wide by 1.75 ft. deep, embedded in the earth so that its top is level with the surface, about 15 ft. within the central sarsen trilithon.
Two fallen members of this trilithon now lie across it (stones 55 and 156), and their weight has probably pressed it down to its present position. Like the adjoining bluestones, it has been carefully dressed to shape, but its exposed surface is now considerably abraded by the feet of visitors.
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Pierre-aux-Dames - Musée d'art et d'histoire
Visited 17 September 2008
South of Geneva lies the small municipality of Troinex. This area was absorbed into Savoy in 1754 to become Troinex Savoy, before returning to Geneva in 1815. A treaty was signed on 30 May 1817, making Troinex an independent municipality. During this period an official census of the region was conducted and 1819 finds the first recorded account of the Pierre-aux-Dames.
Several prehistoric monuments were recorded including a large mound with the Pierre-aux-Dames resting upon it's top, accompanied by two or three other megaliths.
In 1877, the area began to be developed with roads and building plots. The mound was cut into revealing seven tombs dating from the late Bronze Age. According to the discoverers, whose excavations are poorly documented, the graves contained the bodies of a man and several women. It is unclear if the mound was completely destroyed at this point but the megalith was classified as a historic monument in 1921 and has been "maintained" at the Museum of Art and History in Geneva, since 1942.
The 2.5 meter long stone rests in the inner courtyard of the Museum and has doubled up as a water outlet for the garden. It is difficult to imagine how the stone originally rested on the mound as its base has now been levelled with concrete.
The municipality of Troinex asked for it's return, but the Museum refused on the grounds of security, so in 1998, a high-quality copy was commissioned by the female mayor, M I Beatrice Luscher and created by sculptor, Lukas Grogg. This copy, as well as two other small megaliths, stand outside the Troinex town hall, the Place de la Mairie, on Chemin de la Grand Cour 2, 1256.
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Fieldnotes - 15 September 2010
Came by this site earlier today, so stopped and had a look.
No easy way in so climbed over the hedge onto the reservoir from the road. Completely overgrown and unless you knew there was a barrow here, you would dismiss it as just a small spinney. The reservoir looks like it was built in the 1940's and I would imagine it feeds an MOD site rather than the village of Box.
The "visible" barrow like the reservoir is very overgrown with three trees growing on top of it, a horse chestnut and two oaks, along with much elder and hazel. The mound stands about 2.5m high and about 20m in diameter. The surrounding ditch is more defined on the north east, about 5m wide and up to 0.5m deep but you cannot get a good impression of it due to the undergrowth. It would appear that this one barrow must have been twice the size of the other two, very similar to the bowl barrows found a few miles away at Colerne Park
Really needs a site visit in the depth of winter when the vegetation was died back.
Although not listed on the MAGIC website, there are a number of other round barrows within a mile of here, but the two I visited on the Kingsdown golf course were extremely reduced. Will revisit the area later in the year to get a better impression of the pre-history.
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Wildkirchli Caves - Fieldnotes
Visited 18/09/2008
If Wildkirchli sounds like a wild place, that's because it is.
Wildkirchli means "little church in the wilderness" and collectively refers to a system of caves in the Alpstein massif of Appenzellerland. This region lies in the northeast corner of Switzerland and is entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen. The town of Appenzell is at the heart of the Appenzellerland and can best be pictured as something out of Willy Wonka's chocolate land. The Wildkirchli cave system itself is found on the south east flank of the Ebenalp Mountain, which at 5,381 ft above sea level, is the most northerly summit of the Appenzell Alps.
The mountains, with their clean air, became a popular tourist attraction and in 1955 a cable car was built from the village of Wasserauen in the valley below. The cable car station of Ebenalp allows access to the mountains' high plateau where hiking trails lead to a network of mountain huts and gasthauses,(guest houses). The Wildkirchli caves are a short 15 minute walk below the Ebenalp cable car station. Beyond the caves is a guest house serving light refreshments. The mountain is a popular hiking destination attracting up to 200,000 visitors a year.
The Wildkirchli caves have been a refuge from the outside world for thousands of years. Their isolation at an altitude of 4770 feet cuts them off almost completely. Evidence suggests that the caves were inhabited by cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) throughout the various ice ages, dating back to 90,000 BC. The caves were first mentioned in a description of the Pilatus Mountains by Joachim Vadian in 1524; although the first detailed description by the Capuchin P. Clemns from Appenzell did not appear until 1716 in the book, Naturhistorie des Schweizerlandes, (Natural History of Switzerland) by Johann Jakob Scheuchzer.
In 1621 the caves where first visited by P. Philipp Tanner, after which time the first altar was built. This so-called "cave shrine" consisted of a shallow barrel vault, and had an entrance porch which was later extended. Hermits sort refuge in the caves, the first being Paulus Ulmann in 1658 to 1660. From this time these hermits became known as Waldbrüder. In 1853 the last hermit died after he took a purler when collecting leaves. Various parts of the caves were re-modelled or sealed up with the current altar back wall dating from 1785. In 1860 a new bell tower and small "guesthouse" was constructed, which in 1972 became a small museum.
Between 1903 and 1908, the caves were partly excavated by the St. Gallen archaeologist Emil Bächler (1868–1950). Bächler discovered evidence of habitation dating back to the Palaeolithic period, 50,000 to 30,000 BC. These included traces of Neanderthal humans who he believed may have co-inhabited the caves with hibernating cave bears. Bächler had carried out investigations at other cave sites and in 1940, published his findings in the book, Das alpine Paläolithikum der Schweiz im W., Drachenloch und Wildenmannlisloch.
Although bear worship or arctolatry as it is collectively called, does exisit in many different forms and cultures throughout the world, Emil Bächlers' speculation on Neanderthal mans' practice during the Palaeolithic period is today regarded with some scepticism. I have included links to various web sites and downloadable pdf's with regard to this subject.
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The remains of Oldbury long barrow lies on the narrow neck of a prominent chalk ridge towards the west end of Cherhill Down, 85m west of the Cherhill Monument.
The area around the barrow has been greatly disturbed by chalk digging which makes it difficult to define, although a mound 31m long by 20m wide and up to 2.2m high still survives, orientated east to west along the ridge top. This is thought to be the truncated end section of the barrow, the eastern portion having been levelled. The barrows' original length may have been up to 52m. It's stated dimensions in 1864 was length 60 feet, breadth 26 feet, and about 3 feet high.
Due to the barrows position on its narrow ridge, there are no surface indications of flanking ditches from which long barrows are normally constructed. These may have been destroyed by slope erosion or the construction method may have been different. The subsequent and extensive chalk workings have reduced any investigations to mere speculation.
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Tumulus du Montioux - Sainte Soline
Visited 15 September 2008
This was the final site we visited in the Poitiers region and the nearest to Chaunay where we were staying. The site lies south of Poitiers on the N10 by Chaunay. Turn right at Chaunay then take the D55 to Str-Soline. Turn right again to Bonneul and the site is in a field on the left.
The site is sign posted; and was partly excavated in 1995. It dates from the bronze to Iron age (1800 - 500 BC).Finds include ceramics, flint tools and a sepulchre was discovered under a stone slab. The site consists of a single, unexcavated round barrow and a 50 m long mound with four funeral chambers. See site plan. These date from the Angoumois period and have an Atlantic type layout with a 11 m long corridor with polygonal Cambers.
The walls of the access corridor are composed of pillars alternating with dry stonewalls, but unlike West Kennet Long Barrow, the end chambers have been left open so the feeling of a confined space is lost.
The oldest of the group appears to be the unexcavated round barrow.
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La Pierre-Levée (Poitiers) - Fieldnotes
Visited September 14th 2008
My hosts had set aside a Sunday afternoon for the exploration of Poitiers. Having owned a local property for over twenty years, they had shown numerous visitors around it's ancient streets, cathedral and past Aquitaine splendours. It came as some surprise when I asked to visit the megalithic remains, as they didn't know of any.
Poitiers was founded by the Pictones tribe and their fortified centre or oppidum was named Lemonum, Celtic for elm, Lemo. Although the Pictones assisted Rome and accepted Roman control when Caesar defeated the Gaulic tribes at the decisive battle of Alesia in 52 B.C., Lemonum became the scene of resistance and it's oppidum was raised to the ground. Although La Pierre-Levée escaped this destruction, the might of Rome was to be felt alongside it with the construction of the major road from Lemonum (Poitiers) to Avaricum (Bourges) and onto Lugdunum (Lyon). When Poitiers became the capital for the roman province of Gallia Aquitania, aqueducts, baths and a vast amphitheatre, larger than the one at Nîmes, were constructed Unfortunately this was destroyed in 1857 during a period of "modernisation" of the city. Remains of Roman baths complex, built in the 1st century and demolished in the 3rd century, was uncovered 1877 and led to a more civilised conservation approach to the city's antiquities and history. In 1879 a burial-place and tombs of a number of Christian martyrs, hypogee martyrium were discovered on the heights to the south-east, the names of some of the Christians being preserved in paintings and inscriptions.
La Pierre Levée is located outside the old city walls in the district known as the Dunes. This lies across the river by Le Pont Neuf, which is the start of the old Roman road to Lyon (N151). If following this road into the city, when it becomes the Rue de la Pierre Levee, turn right at the cross roads with Rue du Dolman and the Pierre Levée is in front of you. If travelling out of the centre on Le Pont Neuf, you will need to turn right onto Allee du Petit Tour and then cross over Rue de la Pierre Levee onto Rue du Dolman. La Pierre-Levée is a cultural icon of the city and is well sign posted. La Pierre-Levée lies south-east of the city in the Dunes. Its sandy soil would have yielded poor crops and seems to have been set aside by the Pictones for the revered ancestors. A short distance away is the hypogee martyrium which is also a pre-roman sacred site.
La Pierre Levée means the raised stone or rock and is 22 feet (6.7 m) long, 16 feet (4.9 m) broad by 7 feet (2.1 m) high with a rectangular chamber. The large capstone sits on several supports along the southern side, but is broken and falls to the ground at the northern side. This damage apparently happened in the 18th Century, but facts are unclear as to what caused it. There are accounts of several stones, presumably the "pillars" which held up the northern side, being removed from the site and taken into the city. The site is mentioned in various records from the Middle Ages, with its Latinized name in different ways: Petra-Levata in 1299, Petra-Soupeaze in 1302, Petra-suspense in 1322. The Charter of 1302 also indicates its position: Super dubiam, the Dunes.
Church records indicate that the site was used as a public meeting place and several festivities were held here including the great fair of Saint Luke. The city prison used to stand behind the site but this was demolished after WWII and the area redeveloped.
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Hypogee Martyrium - Fieldnotes
Visited September 14th 2008
The Hypogee Martyrium lies a short distance from La Pierre-Levée in the Dunes suburb of Poitiers. The area would appear to have been set aside by the Celtic Pictone tribe for their revered ancestors, if not their deceased.
The ancient heart of this half-buried tomb was only unearthed in 1878 by Father C. La Croix. Notarial and oral tradition had preserved the memory of this field "Chiron martyr" or a "path of martyrs". In exploring the necropolis, Father C. La Croix. discovered it contained exceptional carvings and inscriptions from the very early Christian period. It would appear that the site had been a place of worship since the Neolithic period and then used by the first Christians before Christianity was adopted by the Roman Empire. The tomb contained the martyred remains of some of these persecuted Christians, together with their earlier pagan companions.
Although we found the Hypogee Martyrium, there was an official notice informing us that the site had been closed to the public by municipal decree on October 5, 1998. It would appear that the museum service of Poitiers had decided the site was in need of restoration and had closed it until this could be carried out. I had to make do with taking a few pictures from outside the gates.
Further information and pictures of the interior can be found on the official museum service web site, along with a tourist guide for the site from 1911.
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Pierre du Sacrifice (Boixe A) - Fieldnotes
Visited September 13th 2008
Came to the Forêt-de-Boixe at the end of a long hot day travelling around Charente with some English friends who owned a house in the region. These were normal, non-megalithic folk and were more interested to walk in the forest then looking at barrows or discarded old rocks. We parked up at the side of the road, just off the D18/D116 and as a consequence missed the official car park along with the information board giving details of the monuments, site layout and the history of the forest.
While the rest of the party headed off down the main track to the large clearing in the Chalet Boixe, I scouted around the forest looking in vain for the main tumulus, the Tumulus de la Boixe. After getting disorientated (I'm only told to get lost), I retraced my steps and came upon a little wooden sign saying Dolmen. Thinking this was the Tumulus de la Boixe, which was said to be 30m in diameter and 3m high, I was expecting to come out into a sizable clearing in the forest. Alas the primary objective of the mission was not to be and I had to contend myself with the secondary one in the shape of the Pierre du Sacrifice.
This stone is impressive though being around 4 metres long, 2 metres wide and about 1 to 1.5 meters in thickness. The official national de forest have provided an information board with some interesting facts about it, and artist impressions of the tumulus it came from. Apparently this was, until fairly recently, the largest tumulus in the area, measuring 45 metres in diameter, and standing 4 metres high with a circumference of 140 meters. The board then goes on to say that the tumulus was destroyed in the 19th century during construction of the D18 Mansle to Saint Amant de Boxie road, although this road was originally the old Roman road from from Périgueux to Poitiers called Chaussade Shod or path. Maybe the tumulus was destroyed for its building material when the road was "improved" and this stone was considered to be "cursed" and so is all that remains. See the section on additional folklore which is included below for more on this.
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Tumulus de la Boixe - Fieldnotes
Almost visited September 13th 2008
Although I came very close to visiting this site, we parked on the wrong side of the road and missed the offical car-park and the Tumulus completely. See fieldnotes for the Pierre du Sacrifice for the full story.
This site has been now been included on the TMA Google Earth so check it out before visiting and you won't make the same mistake as I did.
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Lake Barrow Group
Field notes - Visited 5th Aug 2007
There are three different and separate barrow groups south of Normanton Down, all of which are within the Wilsford cum Lake parish. Apart from the Lake group, there is the Lake Down barrow group (SU 117 393) which is actually on Lake Down, east of Druids Lodge and above Spring Bottom. The other group is known as the Wilsford Barrow group (SU 118 398) and this sits on the spur between Wilsford Down and Lake Down, on the western slope of Spring Bottom.
The Lake group are located just off the track that runs past Normanton Down and onto the A360 at Druids Lodge. These barrows are on private land but in order to get permission to view them you need to walk past them to Westfield farm.
This group contains at least fifteen bowl-barrows, four bell-barrows, two disc barrows and a long barrow. The farm track separates the main barrows of the group, the northern set containing the long barrow and disc barrows sit in a wood, while on the southern side of the track are two bell and three bowl barrows, one of which has been greatly reduced. To the north-west lay a satellite group of four bowl barrows which were completely excavated by Professor William Grimes in 1959 due to the damage they were under from being ploughed down.
Although Colt Hoare and William Cunnington carried out a lot of the excavations in the area, many of the barrows in this group including both the disc barrows, were opened by a former proprietor, Rev. Edward Duke, unfortunately with little, if any record. The Neolithic long barrow however, aligned north-west to south-east, 42 metres long, 23 metres wide and 2.5 metres high, appears never to have been opened or excavated in any way. The bell and bowl barrows which stand in the triangular open area between the two arms of the wood are the best preserved although the one furthest west is greatly reduced. These were the subject of Duke's excavations in 1807, but there is doubt as to what he found in which barrow.
The barrows within the wood were difficult to photograph when I visited at the height of summer due to the extensive vegetation. There was a stench of death and I think a badger set had been the scene of slaughter. Some of the barrows had certainly been damaged by burrowing, if not by the tree roots that had engulfed them. I couldn't get too far into the overgrowth to see the disc barrows or the so-called, Prophet Barrow which was said to be the place a French prophet preached from in 1710.
An interesting barrow group if you have the time to walk down from Stonehenge and get permission to look around them but I would recommend you did this in the winter months when the trees are bare and you can get a clearer view of the barrows.
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The Grafton barrow cemetery consists of three disc barrows, two of which overlap, and a bowl barrow which form a unique site. Of the various types of round barrow, nationally disc barrows are rare, with about 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. While Bowl barrows are the most numerous form of round barrow, dating from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age, most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. Disc barrows, the most fragile type of round barrow are of the early Bronze Age, with most dating to a much shorter 200 year period, possibly between 1400-1200 BC. The setting of this barrow group on a gentle west-facing slope above the floor of a dry valley and not on a more level part of the undulating chalk downland, has added greatly to it's survival.
When I visited the site in May 2009, I came along the footpath from the Fair Mile to Scots poor. The first section is a good made up road but once the path drops into the valley it becomes a dirt track. The height of the trees surrounding this barrow group makes it a frustrating site to try to photograph. It makes me wonder why the hillside was chosen. The two joined barrows sit on the lower slop with the single disc slightly higher. The Bowl barrow sits on a spur high up the side of the hill and is the most visible today.
Of the three disc barrows, two overlap and have been classified as a single monument by English heritage, although the Wiltshire SMR lists each barrow individually. The two conjoined disc barrows, aligned broadly north- south and set on the lower slope, are both about 46 m in diameter, the northern barrow has a central mound 10m in diameter and 0.75m high surrounded by a berm 7.5m wide. The southern barrow has a central mound l2m across and 0.75m high surrounded by a level berm 10m across.
Both show a hollow on the mound measuring approx 5m by 0.5m and are the results of the 1952 partial excavation by the Newbury District Field Club.
Surrounding the berm of the northern barrow, is a ditch 6m wide by 1m deep and a high outer bank on the west side of the mound, 6m wide and 1.5m high. The southern barrow's ditch surrounds it's central area, except to the north where it abuts the southern part of the ditch surrounding the adjacent northern barrow. This may indicate that the order of construction. The ditch has been partly in filled over the years but survives as an earthwork 5m wide and 1m deep. An outer bank defines the maximum extent of the monument, at least on the downhill side where it stands 1.5m high and is 5m across.
The other single disc barrow, SMR No.SU25NE618, National Monument 12267. is called the Heath Copse disc barrow. The English heritage report says the barrow mound stands 1m high surrounded by a berm 9m wide and a quarry ditch 3m wide, the central mound stands 1m high and is c.10m across. Surrounding this is a level berm 9m wide and a ditch, from which material was obtained during construction of the monument. The ditch has been partly in filled over the years but survives as a low earthwork 3m wide and 0.5m deep. This disc barrow is an outstanding example with no evidence for excavation.
The burials, normally cremations, are frequently accompanied by pottery vessels, tools and personal ornaments. It has been suggested that disc barrows were normally used for the burial of women, although this remains unproven. However, it is likely that the individuals buried were of high status.
To get an impression of the site size, along with the surrounding long and round barrows see this aerial view from the SMR http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/smr/getsmr.php?id=17835
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Hail and Welcome
Chance was born in Ratae in the year of the Rat, and grew up in the territory of the Corieltauvi. Now living days walk west of Wale-dich (Avebury), on the border between the Atrebates, the Durotriges and the Dobunni.
Practical experience of excavation on Neolithic, Bronze-age, Roman sites.
Enjoys exploring on bicycle, with wild camp provisions along Roman roads and ancient Celtic tracks. Interested in the various tribes, how they divided their land, their agricultural calendar, their common beliefs and ritual systems. Often attends the tribal meetings held at Avebury and Stonehenge.
Contact - Chippychance on UTube
http://www.youtube.com/chippychance
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