Articles

Folklore

Norden Hill
Round Barrow(s)

There were four barrows here, as you can read on Pastscape, but maybe only one or two are visible now. Maybe you can see the stones and grave if you’re looking in the right direction.

Near Norden-hill, in Dorsetshire, is a lengthy mound which is popularly called the Giant’s Grave; and very near to it are two large stones which have probably rolled down from the beds of rock on the side, or from the chalk hill above. A story, popular in the neighbourhood, says that two giants were once standing on Norden-hill and contending for the mastery as to which of them should hurl the longer distance, the direction being across the valley towards Hanging-hill. He whose stone fell short was so mortified at the failure that he died of vexation, and was buried beneath the mound which has since been known as the Giant’s Grave.

From Giants and dwarfs by Edward J Wood (1868).

Miscellaneous

Norden Hill
Round Barrow(s)

Details of barrows on Pastscape

(’A’ – SY 59959928; ‘B’ – SY 60029931) Tumuli (NR) (1)
‘A’ – SY 59969928. A mound, probably the remains of a barrow, situated 1000 yds east of Cattistock church, has been almost obliterated by ploughing. Grinsell added in 1959 that there was “No sign. Perhaps removed for flints”. (2)
‘B’ – SY 60029931. A mound, 75 yds to the south-west of ‘A’ has been destroyed by gravel digging. The mound was “vague and almost gone” according to Grinsell. (3)
‘A’ – No trace under crop. Slight surface quarrying has taken place in the area.
‘B’ – A bowl barrow, 18.0m diameter by 0.3m high, under crop with no trace of ditch.
At ‘C’ – SY 59799929 is a bowl barrow with heavy flint content measuring 16.0m diameter by 0.8m high.
At ‘D’ – SY 59749929 is another bowl barrow with a heavy flint content measuring 14.0m diameter by 0.5m high. (4)
(A: SY 59959929) Tumulus (NR) (Site of) (NAT)
(C: SY 59799928) & D: SY 59749929) Tumuli (NR)
(B: SY 60019931) Tumulus (NR) (5)
The area is now under pasture. ‘A’ has been destroyed by surface quarrying and ‘B’ has been ploughed out. ‘C’ is now 9.8m in diameter and 0.3m. high with a lynchet on its west side; ‘D’ measures 7.7m. in diameter and 0.1m high. Both ‘C’ and ‘D’ appear to be barrows.

Sites within 20km of Norden Hill