New King Barrows

Also known as:
Seven Barrows and The Kings Graves
Nearest town:
Amesbury (2km E)
OS reference:
SU134422
OS sheet:
184
Latitude:
51° 10' 41.92 N
Longitude:
1° 48' 29.81 W

Images

Image of New King Barrows by thesweetcheat

Amesbury 27. National Trust landrover under the trees to the right gives a sense of scale.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.11.2017)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 29, 2017
Image of New King Barrows by thesweetcheat

Amesbury 31 and 30. There’s a wider gap between 30 and 29 to the south.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.11.2017)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 29, 2017
Image of New King Barrows by Chance
Image credit: Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2015. Open Source Environment agency LIDAR
Chance
Chance Mar 25, 2016
Image of New King Barrows by Chance

View of Kings Barrow Ridge from the last barrow looking south

Image credit: Chance - March 2008
Chance
Chance May 25, 2010
Image of New King Barrows by Chance

Kings Barrow Ridge showing barrows and beech trees planted in 1722 by Lord Pembroke

Image credit: Chance - March 2008
Chance
Chance May 25, 2010
Image of New King Barrows by Chance

View looking along part of Kings Barrow Ridge

Image credit: Chance - March 2008
Chance
Chance May 25, 2010
Image of New King Barrows by Chance

Cutting back hazel and forming new wildlife habitat on Kings Barrow Ridge

Image credit: Chance - March 2008
Chance
Chance May 25, 2010
Image of New King Barrows by Chance

Modern grave where ashes were scattered on Kings Barrow Ridge

Image credit: Chance - March 2008
Chance
Chance May 25, 2010
Image of New King Barrows by Chance

Artist impression of a burial on Kings Barrow Ridge

Image credit: National Trust
Chance
Chance May 25, 2010
Image of New King Barrows by The Eternal

The New King Barrows on the ridge below the trees, seen looking E from Amesbury 11 bell barrow 08/07/09.

Image credit: The Eternal
The Eternal
The Eternal Aug 11, 2009
Image of New King Barrows by formicaant

New King Barrows from inside Stonehenge, the barrow in the foreground is the one next to the monument.

Image credit: Mike Rowland 28/05/09
formicaant
formicaant May 28, 2009

Articles

New King Barrows

C
CARL Jun 15, 2010

Visited 12.6.10.
After visiting Stonehenge and all its hustle and bustle I headed up to this site. I parked just off the main road onto a little piece of land in front on the gate which leads you to the barrows. There is a metal N.T. sign here which calls the site King Barrow Ridge. It was a lovely sunny day and the light was dappled through the trees. Myself and Dafydd had the place to ourselves and it was very peaceful with good views back towards Stonehenge and all the people walking around the circle. This really is a lovely place to visit and access to the barrows is very easy. I would certainly recommend a visit when in the area. One word of warning though – it is quite difficult getting back onto the main road as it is very busy and the cars are not hanging around!

New King Barrows

Chris Collyer
Chris Collyer Sep 9, 2002

Visited 2nd Sept 2002-09-09
A nice set of barrows between Stonehenge and the roundabout that leads off to Durrington and Woodhenge. The first time travelling west I completely missed them, then on the way back east they loomed out of the trees to the left of the road causing me to pull up sharply (not recommended on this road!). The barrows extend northwards as far as The Avenue while the Old Kings barrows continue on the other side of it.
While I was there I met a couple with their kids looking for a good place to watch the sun go down beyond ‘thee stones’. Hope they enjoyed it, I know I did.

Folklore

New King Barrows
Barrow / Cairn Cemetery
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Jul 6, 2005

In 1720, Stukeley wrote: “On Salisbury Plain near Stonehenge in the sheep-penning there several barrows called the Kings Graves. The stones which once stood there are lately carried away.”

The existence of these stones is apparently corroborated by the detailed drawing of Stonehenge and its surroundings made by J Hassell (for Inigo Jones’ ‘Stonehenge’): he drew stones on the side of the hill above ‘Penning Bottom’.

It’s likely the stones went for road making. And speaking of which, here’s a peculiar tale told by “the late Mr Soul, grocer and baker of Amesbury”:

The Marquess of Queensbury set out to make a road to Shrewton, the remains of which can be seen today. It left the Amesbury road just after the Seven Barrows, crossed the valley, went over the Stonehenge Avenue, and nearly got to the Cursus. But one day the Marquess rode up to see how the work was getting on and then went on to Shrewton. It was Trinity Monday, the Shrewton fete day, and he found them all so drunk that he decided Shrewton was no fit place to be connected with Amesbury.

Now what’s all that about? Various Marquesses certainly made their mark on the land round here*. Perhaps it’s based on a truth. But doesn’t the story smack slightly of the town rivalry / devil folklore you get elsewhere? Perhaps my imagination.

In ‘Notes’ on the Seven Barrows, WAM 61 (1966)

* eg see the history mentioned in the 2002 ‘Stonehenge World Heritage Site – Archaeological Research Framework’ at
apollo5.bournemouth.ac.uk/stonehenge/pdf/section2.pdf

Miscellaneous

New King Barrows
Barrow / Cairn Cemetery
Chance
Chance Sep 21, 2012

Details of Barrow Group on Pastscape

A linear round barrow cemetery comprising 7 Early Bronze Age round barrows situated within a Post Medieval plantation. The cemetery was named “The New King Barrows” by Stukeley; although the barrows are also known as Seven Barrows. One of the Seven Barrows was opened in 1649 and found to contain “Coales and pieces of goates hornes and stagges horns”, while another contained “a bugle-horn tipt with silver at both end” (though these could equally be part of the Old King Barrows barrow cemetery to the north, which is also known as Seven Barrows (Monument Number 219756)). The round barrows were listed as Amesbury 26 to 32 by Goddard (1913) and as three bell and four bowl barrows by Grinsell (1957). Storm damage in 1987 and 1990 resulted in some archaeological investigation of the cemetery and the earthworks were surveyed by RCHME in 1990. Additional observations were made in April 2011 as part of English Heritage’s Stonehenge WHS landscape project – rapid field investigations. See individual barrow records (SU 14 SW 362 to 368) for specific details.

Sites within 20km of New King Barrows

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.