formicaant

These barrows and the surrounding sites, of which there are many, used to be conveniently reached by parking in a small layby on the northern side of the road. Sadly this has now been blocked off and the only place to park safely is another layby about 100 – 200 metres west, this is however a very fast and dangerous road with no pavement so be careful.

Like the nearby long barrow I spotted this bell barrow on MAGIC. It is 28m in diameter and 2.5m in height hopefully some photos will follow soon.

I spotted this on MAGIC while planning a trip to Clearbury Rings. It is south of the hillfort and is a long barrow about 60m in length, 18m wide and 2.5 m in height at its highest point, it reduces in height on the southern end. It appears to be on private land, but a foot path passes close by so hopefully I will be able to photograph it soon.

This is a multi ditched plateau hillfort on the Hartland peninsula in north Devon, also known as Ditchen Hills. I don,t really like to post sites I haven’t at least been to or have much information about, but will be in the area in a few weeks and will try to visit it soon.

A single bowl barrow on a small hill 200m north-east of church, photos to follow.

The Trendle is an iron age enclosure with two sets of banks and ditches. It measures 37m by 30m and is sub rectangular in shape. It is small in size compared to other similar sites, one on Pilsdon Pen is about four times the size of this one. It is similar in form to another one near to Blackdown, just to the south of the long barrow on Sheepdown.

This was visited in 1827 by one J.F.Pennie who thought this was a small stone circle of druidic origin. He painted a fanciful picture of rituals and solemn ceremonies, involving naked women and sacrifices. Pennie was not unusual in his assumption of a druidic origin to what he erroneously thought a stone circle instead of the remains of a barrow. The original barrow would have pre-dated the druids by about two thousand years.

Although there are no specific sites on the island it has been shown to have been occupied since 500 bce. It has been excavated several times, Iron Age pottery and metal working waste have been found. Also a wooden boat mentioned in the news section of this Dorset part of TMA was dredged up very close to the island while clearing the channel between it and the mainland.

This is taken from Dorset Brrows by L.V.Grinsell and describes these long barrows/ bank barrow.

“Width includes probable berm ploughed to edge. Height of mound rises from NW to SE where 5ft. This and the last (II a) may in fact be one long barrow, as probing by R.J.C.Atkinson has shown ditches to be continuous.”

Grinsell gives the following dimensions for both barrows : IIa – 300 feet long by 72 feet wide by 4 feet high.
IIb – 175 feet long by 70 feet wide by 5 feet high.

L.V.Grinsell says this is a very large round barrow, 100 feet in diameter and 7 1/2 feet in height. He also says it has a peristalith in good condition. The Devon / Somerset border appears to pass through it. It appears to be part of large cemetary group. I will be visiting this and other barrows in the area soon, photos and fieldnotes to follow.

This barrow could possibly be the shortest known bank barrow. In David Field’s excellent book Earthen Long Barrows he refers to a Bradford Peverell bank barrow of 64 metres in length. Another candidate could possibly be the long barrow called Red Barn, which is equally close to Bradford Peverell. However he provides no grid reference for it, I will probably have to write him a letter to find out.
Grinsell says this is 150 feet long, 60 – 90 feet wide and 4 feet in height.

This barrow was opened by the rev J.Skinner in 1815. He employed two colliers from 22nd until 30th September. They tunnelled into the centre but “the interment was gone; there was no cist, only a hole in the soil”. There was a burnt layer on the original turf-line which revealed a structure of stones with a revetment wall on the north side, and a quarry on the south side from which some of the material from the barrow was derived. This opening revealed a human thighbone and a broken whetstone. Skinner thought the barrow had previously been opened in the 18th.c. and robbed of its contents.
An adjacent barrow also yielded an antler pick, ox bones and two flint scrapers.
from Somerset barrows by L.V.Grinsell.

The dyke as it stands in its current form is a Romano-Britsh defensive earthwork. However H.C. Bowen in the excellent book “The Archaeology of Bokerley Dyke” gives a good argument for a much earlier origin. He argues that in the Bronze age the dyke was a cultural boundary which can be shown by the differences between types of round barrow which only occur either side of the ditch.
The bronze age date has also been partially confirmed by excavated finds, the similarity of Neolithic long barrows on both sides of the dyke show no significant difference in typology / culture at that time. There are problems with finds because of the confused stratigraphy caused by the different stages in the developement of the dyke. It was greatly deepened and heightened at a later stage of its history.

This barrow was opened in the year 1824; and the various Urns which it contained are deposited, some in Whatcombe house, and some in the museum at Bristol. It has been inspected by Sir Richard C Hoare, Bart, F.A.S., who considers it to be more curious than any barrow yet discovered in this island. E.M.P.1827.

From the Salisbury & Winchester Journal, 2 june 1828.

“These downes looke as if they were sowen with great Stones, very thick, and in a dusky evening they looke like a flock of Sheep: one might fancy it to have been the scene, where the giants fought with huge stones against the Gods. ” Twas here that our game began, and the chase led us through the village of Avbury....”

John Aubrey, c.1650.

This long barrow is now unique in Dorset as being the only long barrow not sited on the chalk downland. Another long barrow, now sadly destroyed, was in existence at Holdenhurst in Bournemouth. The destroyed barrow was excavated by Stuart Piggott in the thirties, this was the first time a mechanical digger is known to have been used in an archaeological dig.
Longbury has been excavated at least three times, in 1802 when skeletons were found, 1855 sherds of a “very rude vessel” and lastly in 1951 – 4 when a secondary burial and a crouched interment were discovered. The finds from this dig are on view in Gillingham museum.

A settlement of the pre roman era near the tiny village of Turnworth. Although best seen from the air the remaning earthworks of this farmstead and field system can be seen on the ground. Access to the site is very easy as it is under the care of the national trust. Unfotunately my camera batteries died on my last visit, so photos will come when I next visit, which will be no great hardship as this is a quiet and gentle place.

Celtic field system and at least one long barrow north of Grimstone Down.

A set of eight round barrows in alignment along the ridge of a hill to the east of Bincombe. These are part of the south Dorset ridgeway group of barrows.

A group of ten or more assorted round barrows on the south Dorset ridgeway, east of Chalbury hillfort. Almost immediately below them is a chalk cut hillfigure of George the third on horseback from the 18thc. c.e.

Access to the perimeter of this hillfort is via public footpaths, but the interior is private property and permission must be sought.

Two long barrows in good condition, one of which appears to be overlaying the Dorset Cursus. Very close by is a settlement which now largely appears only as a crop / parch mark.

Marked on O.S. maps as an enclosure, according to James Dyer in Hillforts of England and Wales it is a hillslope fort. Also from the map it looks to have a road running through the middle of it.
Iron and bronze age artifacts have been found on the site. It was later a site of roman occupation, coins and pavements have been excavated in the past.

I know the OS is in many ways untrustworthy, but this stone appears on sheet 102 as an inscribed stone. Also local artist and writer Ian McNeil Cooke doesn’t seem to have any doubts as to the antiquity of the stone.

A round shaped, univallate hillfort, near the village of Fovant. Although not megalithic, the hillslope to the north of it, has WW1 army cap badges carved into the chalk. These were done by soldiers camped nearby and at least in some way show a continuity with the distant past.

I’m not entirely sure about this being a hillfort, not having actually been up it, but it certainly looks like it from the valley below. The hill it sits on is not far from the Valley of Stones and looks north towards Eggardon and Chilcombe hillforts.

A promontory hillfort in one of the more remote spots in Dorset. Close by is the Dorsetshire gap, a meeting place of five ancient trackways. The hillfort is formed by a double bank and ditch cutting across the hill called Nettlecombe Tout, leaving a twenty acre hillfort at the end.

From the Gazeteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868).

“Musbury Castle a double ditched camp of 20 acres in this parish”.

A small, little known univallate hillfort, the only real mention of this site on the whole web is a reference to it by Thomas Hardy in Tess of the D’Urbevilles.

Whilst there is dispute about the age of the big bloke, a very cogent argument for an early age is given in the only book I know of which is entirely devoted to the subject – The Cerne Giant by Rodney Castleden.
Although he’s a big lad, he hasn’t always been quite so well endowed, there is an early edwardian photographic postcard which clearly shows him having a navel. This was incorporated into his penis when the giant was re-cut in 1908.

The earlier comment about the stones having been flung here by the devil from Portland may not be wholly accurate, but the capstone was replaced by quarrymen from the island using screw jacks. It weighed in at a hefty 16 tons, this work was completed on August 14th 1869.
At least the Hellstone was restored, as the fate of a similar sounding neolithic burial mound, whose stones stood immediately north west of Blackdown barn (SY607870) were apparently completely broken up by farm workers. Thank whoever you want that a similar fate didn’t befall the Hellstone.

Yet another large barrow cemetery, this is south of Oakley down. It consists of twenty plus barrows of various types , including a long barrow , either side of Ackling dyke. One of the barrows appears to overlay the course of the Dorset cursus (from mapping evidence , if you trust the O.S.)

Sorry to be an utter pedant but Badbury was never called Durnovaria as is this modern day Dorchester , it was in fact reckoned to be Vindocladia , although there is some dispute as to the exact location.

This site in the Brendon hills is marked on O.S. maps as an enclosure , I have seen it listed as an iron age site elsewhere , it looks to be closely associated with Bats castle. As with Bats castle more info will appear in these pages soon , once I’ve visited both places.

Close to the national trust site, Dunster castle, the trust website calls Bats castle an iron age hillfort. I will be visiting this place in the very near future and will add fieldnotes and photos to T.M.A. soon.

The hexagonal mark noted in Rob Gillespie’s fieldnotes is reckoned to be the mark left by a plantation of trees . These were supposedly planted by the owner at the time , who was a naval captain , he is said to have used them as landmark to be seen from the sea . Sounds a bit dodgy to me , but not completely barking mad.

This is now a golf course, which doesn’t seem to have any public access.I know some strange people who play golf, and have been here, and I’m told there isn’t much to see. Apparently there is part of a single rampart with a curve, the rest appears to have been ploughed out long ago.

I have just come back from the county museum , having shown them the piece of flint I found the other day.A very helpful curator told me it is a broken part of a scraper.These were all purpose tools , used for butchery , removing bark from wood , preparing animal hides etc. It’s not of any great importance , but is a definite link back to the original users of the hillfort.

I drive past this place most days , can’t understand the golf thing , but it does keep the barrows in good nick. This is part of the south Dorset ridgeway chain of monuments , which must be one of the largest concentrations of barrows in the country. All types and sizes of barrow are included in this group and the golf club barrows are some of the best preserved.

There may have been some occupation, but would a hillfort be necessary here anyway with Pilsdon so close by? I wouldn’t be surprised if the hill had been used in ancient times as the Golden cap is directly south on the coast. It is the disputed highest point Dorset, Pilsdon is often reckoned to be but Lewesdon is marked higher on o.s. maps, for what that’s worth.
Glad to be proven wrong by the above, newer entries.

I have just visited this hillfort for the umpteenth time and purely by luck managed to find a small piece of worked flint laying in the scatter from a mole hill. It is not of any great significance as it appears to be a bit of waste struck from a core , I will report it to the local museum as they like to know the distribution of these things.

Three of five barrows on Duddle heath between Thorncombe woods and Puddletown forest. Their visibility depends on whether the forestry commission have been cutting down trees or not. At the moment they can be seen quite well, although photography isn’t very good. Situated next to a dogleg in Ackling dyke, the roman road to Badbury rings, access is always possible via the pathways through the forest. Another way to get to this site is to park in Thorncombe woods car park and walk up the roman road, it is well defined and always free of trees as the foresters use it as a natural fire break. I’m not surprised Hardy mentions these barrows as he was born in Higher Bockhampton which is part of Thorncombe woods and about a 1/4 of a mile away from them.
There is one barrow in this set of five which can be seen very well at the moment as the horrible pine trees have been removed from it.

More a secure area for animals and people, this is not a major defensive structure. It is very strongly believed to have originally been a neolithic causwayed enclosure, added to over a considerable period of time. Fairly elaborate structures dating from c.1000 b.c.e have been seen in a large geophysical survey of the site. The ancient track from Badbury rings was “romanised” and Buzbury was occupied during the roman period. It is now clipped on its northern edge by a modern road and is part of a golf course, it can be clearly seen from the road. I’m not sure about access, but will try and find out as I want to visit the site properly and not just look at it from my car window, hopefully more information will follow soon including some photos.

With reference to Rhiannon’s entry, this set of barrows are aligned west to east, at both ends are medium sized bell barrows. She is correct in that if you stand on one of these end barrows, the central bowl barrow blocks the view of the barrow at the other end. This may not have been the case originally as the bell barrow seems to have been heightened during excavation. In the western cluster there is a pair of barrows, one larger than the other, almost touching each other. The holes are curious, some are sink holes as marked on the o.s. map, but some look like they have been scooped out and the corresponding barrow is their mirror image, this could be a coincidence, but it is odd.

Bul barrow or Bulbarrow as it is locally known sits atop a high ridge of hills in mid Dorset. While not overly impressive in itself, having the appearance of a bowl barrow, it must be one of the highest in Dorset. Nearby is Rawlsbury hillfort and parts of a WW2 radar station including a mast and huts which are now a sawmill. Thomas Hardy mentions it in Tess of the D’Uurbeville’s and gives the alternative name Bealbury, but this could be his own invention.

This is a major barrow cemetery on the south Dorset ridgeway, access is via the south west coast path, park at the nearby Blackdown or Hardy monument. This site is covered in barrows of various sizes, about 15 in all, although as it is part of an extended line of monuments many more can be seen from it. The isle of Portland, the Fleet and Chesil beach can be clearly seen from here, as can Maiden castle. Within a few miles of this site there is a rich variety of sites, stone circles, a cromlech, hillforts, long and bank barrows.

A Roman signal station would make a lot of sense here as there is known to be one at nearby blackdown (roughly the Hardy monument) which can be plainly seen from here. The blackdown site is also known to be part of a chain of “beacons”. Also the coastal placing of the hillfort would make a very good place to put an emergency signal station. There’s no evidence for the hillforts themselves having been used in the Iron / bronze ages for sending signals to one another, but I can’t see any reason why not.

This barrow is also known locally as Culliford “clump”. The depressions in the top of this are almost certainly signs of “amateur” archaeology in the past. There was however a rumour that an arms cache was buried here in 1940 in case of German invasion.

This is a large round barrow on the north west edge of Mount Pleasant henge, said to have been added to the henge complex around 1800 bce. It is an impressive size, being not much smaller than the nearby Lanceborough barrow at Maiden castle. Like many local barrows it is now covered in trees , at least this protects it from the plough , sadly Mount Pleasant itself was not spared this fate.
I have included a nearby bowl barrow east of Conquer barrow and Mount Pleasant. This is on a hill overlooking both sites.

Sorry about the wrong information about access in my fieldnotes , it appears you can walk on this site when the range walk is open but do check first as 120 mm tank rounds could easily spoil your day out.