Chance

This late Neolithic long barrow is short at 30m long and only stands 1.5m high by 22m wide, but has only been partially excavated, just before the outbreak of world war one in 1914. Few notes survive of the findings made by O.G. Crawford and Hooton, with some of the Neolithic pottery now housed at Harvard University in America.

The long barrow survives well as an earthwork, orientated SSW-NNE on the crest of a west facing slope, surrounded by several later Bronze Age round barrows, most examined at the same time in 1914.

Like most of the long barrows, the flanking ditches, from which material used to construct the mound was quarried, run parallel to the north and south sides of the mound. These have been partly infilled during the years but survive as earthworks 5m wide and 1m deep on the south side and 6m wide and 1.5m deep to the north.

The barrow is easy to reach from the fair mile and a farm track runs up to the top of the hill with a water tower.
I travelled up by cycle but you should have no trouble if you want to try driving up to it. If not, park up by the Fair mile and walk up the track, past Ash Tree Dryer and walk into the field along the fence line. I visited at the end of May and the surrounding field was sown with barley. Cross into the pasture and follow the fence to view the later round barrows.

This site should be viewed in conjunction with the other long barrows, disc barrows and bell barrows within the 3 mile radius.
Use the Magic site or Google earth to get the bigger picture. Here’s a link to try

magic.gov.uk/website/magic/opener.htm?startTopic=magicall&chosenLayers=moncIndex&xygridref=426987,157257&startScale=20000

This long barrow lies on the side of a hill above the village of Collingbourne Kingston. Very easy to reach, it appears to have escaped any serious excavation, although the uneven surface suggests partial excavation of the site, probably in the 19th century.
The B road running along the crest of the hill, named fair mile, seemed to me to be as ancient as the long barrow itself and could be traced running for miles through and past many Neolithic sites. This is worthy of a separate blog in it’s own right.
To the east of the road lies another long barrow, Tow Barrow and a km south, the Grafton disc barrow group.

I cycled the area and came in along the fair mile. There is no sign for any of these barrows, but a byway sign and a convenient pull in off the road marks the track leading down the hill and past the long barrow. I cycled down this and left the bike by the fence just before the wood. I climbed over a fence and walk along the field boundary until I reached the field with the barrow in it. Gates have been provided to access the barrow and the land owner should be praised at the level of upkeep this barrow affords.

The barrow itself is fenced off but a gate is provided and access could not be easier. The only problem I encountered was a herd of bullocks who where over friendly and came a bit to close for comfort. I armed myself with a big stick and kept the at arms length as I made my way into the barrows compound. Once inside I made a little offering to the ancestors in the form of a cap full of water anointing the barrow. It might sound a bit daft to some people but I fell it is a mark of respect and I always like to make an effort to get into the right mind space when visiting these burial sites. I don’t know quite what happened next but something spooked the cattle and they all turned and fled to the furthest part of the field and left me in peace for then on.

As you can see from the pictures, the long barrow survives as a substantial earthwork, a length of 41.5m, is 20m wide and 2.5m high at the higher east-end. The orientation is east-west and is ovoid in plan.
Flanking ditches, from which material used to construct the mound was quarried, run parallel to the north and south sides of the mound. The northern ditch adjoins the barrow mound and is 7m wide and 0.75m deep. The southern ditch, which is separated from the mound by a narrow berm 2m wide, is 9m wide and 1.5m deep.

A very fine, mid to late Neolithic long barrow and one I would highly recommend visiting, along with the other barrows mentioned above. I would suggest winter or early spring the best time as the pasture would not have become so dense and the cattle in the field.

Chance – June 2009

Field Notes – 26-08-07
Ashdown Park natural sarsen drift SU: 28496 82083

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 170 – Scale 1:25000
Abingdon, Wantage and the Vale of the White Horse
ISBN 978-0-319-23611-6

When describing the remains of this natural sarsen drift, it is important to view them as one piece of the overall landscape. The majority of the remaining sarsens lie in Sarsen Field, although sarsens are scattered along the length of the estate boundary, as well as, the medieval farmstead at the rear of Ashdown house. Sarsen Field is fenced off and does not seem to have public access but lies right beside the B4000. This road may be a prehistoric trackway and appears to have been used to transport the stones north to the Ridgeway and south to Lambourn.
Stones from this sarsen drift can be found in the prehistoric monuments of Waylands Smithy and Segbury Hillfort. Even the Blowing Stones’ of Aldbourne and Uffington may have come from this drift, if not from this area.
The drift lies at the bottom of a dry valley named Kingstone Down over looked by the magnificent Weathercock Hill to the east and to the West, by the Bronze age barrow cemetery of Idestone Down, Alfred’s Castle and the Ridgeway. The ancient trackway, The Sugar Way, also passes to the south as it makes it way from Botley copse over Fognam Down and on to Upper Lambourn and the Seven Barrows group.
This area is very confusing to classify using the county boundaries. Ashdown Park appears to have had the county lines drawn around it’s estate and since 1974, now lies in Oxfordshire, while much of it’s history is claimed by both Berkshire and Wiltshire.
The area has seen constant cultivation from the earliest times and the downs above the site show the Celtic field systems and their later Roman replacements. The woodland to the north of the park also contains many Celtic field systems.
Ashdown lies in the manor the Ashberry, which was formed in Saxon times. The estate passed to Glastonbury abbey in the 10th century, and by 1342 it had been partially enclosed (fenced) to create a deer park to supply Venison.
It is unclear to the number of sarsens removed during this period, but the beautiful medieval farmstead at the rear of Ashdown down house is testament to their use by stonemasons of that period. John Aubrey gives an account of large sarsens being taken from Alfred’s castle, at the back of the estate, in 1662-3 to build part of the present house. This might indicate that the drift had already been severely depleted by this time.
I was left with the impression that Sarsen Field was a remnant of “the wild downs” and something to be viewed from the drawing rooms of the large house. Like the sarsen drifts on Fyfield Down and Piggledean, the Ashdown drift is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The rest of the parkland is laid out in the formal styles of the 17th century, with four rides or avenues radiating from the house through dense trees.
After Lord Craven’s death in 1697, ownership of Ashdown house and the estate continued in the Craven family for nearly 300 years. The house, a derelict, and 40 acres of land, were given to the National trust in 1956 with an endowment and covenants for over 53 acres of surrounding land by Cornelia, the countess of Craven. 452 acres of farmland, woodland adjoining the house including the North Ride and Weathercock Hill, were all later purchased by the National trust in 1983. The last addition to the estate was the Iron Age hill fort of Alfred’s Castle, which was purchased by the National trust with grant aid from English Heritage in 1992.

Field notes – Sunday 28 June 2009

Visited this site after an afternoon looking around Membury fort. Parked just off the road by the old drovers track, (marked by a well on the OS map), and walked along the hedge trying to find easy way in to the field. Met a local who lived at the White house and when asked, he had never heard of the long barrow and was shocked when I showed it on the O.S. map. Decided to act like a badger and went under the hedge like the other animals. Walked through pasture and along the edge of Ballard’s Copse to the spot marked on map, just below the crest of the hill.
The barrow has been severely reduced and the official record of its 1.2m height, 27m length and 23m width must have been from the initial measurements done by Grinsell in the 1950’s, when the long barrow was first scheduled. The stated orientation of ENE-WSW was also hard to work out, as was the remains of the flanking ditches. I took a score of pictures but the light was against me and a small bump in the grass is all that can be made out. There was a large depression, 30 meters directly opposite the barrow, and it looked like some form of excavation had taken place around the site, although no records exist of the long barrow being opened or examined by known archaeologists. 1km directly east, lies a round barrow and to the north east is Membury fort, all point to an area of continued habitation and cultivation from the Mesolithic period right up to the roman occupation.
The area had a very mellow vibe to it and the view from the valley below to the long barrow on the crest of the hill would have “claimed territory” written all over it in the Neolithic. Not an impressive site itself, poor access but still a link between the modern world and the ancestors.

Chance

Membury Fort lies on flat ground, six miles north of Hungerford. To the east are the remains of R.A.F. Membury which was decommissioned in 1946. (see link below). The M4 motorway was constructed over the old runway and a motorway service area now lies on the old control tower.

Although Membury Fort is classified on the SMR, (No. SU37NW200), as an Iron-Age Hillfort, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Romano-British finds from the site indicate a long, continual history of occupation and agricultural use. The Roman road, Ermin Street, runs to the north and shadows the modern M4. This may indicate that the fort was still in use as an agricultural grain drying/storage site right through the Roman period.

Access is either from the north via the old Ermin Street, the Baydon road, or from the south via the lane that runs by Membury Lodge. The fort is part of the Membury Estate, which is now being converted into a stud farm. We parked by the Membury Lodge and walked through the main gate, following the public footpath around Membury house and through the well manicured parkland, stables and out buildings.
“Keep to the Footpath” and “Guard Dogs on the Loose” signs might put some people off, but all we saw was a Jack Russell. There were people enjoying the summer sun but they were the other side of the extensive walls. The footpath is well marked and leads to the southern side of the fort.

A farm track runs right across the fort and up to the north-east wooded sector known as Walls Copse.
This wood is in Berkshire, while the rest of the fort is in Wiltshire. To the left of this border is a sunken pond which may well be the reason the fort was built here in the first place. The pond had a “Majestic” vibe to it with ancient sessile oaks and service trees around its edge. There was another, smaller pond on the northern side and outside the fort. This was very overgrown but also seemed original.

We spent about two hours walking around and saw only 2 other walkers in the distance. The site had an undisturbed feel with much wildlife. The noise of the M4 didn’t creep in until we reached the bridge over it. The banks were over grown but still very defined. I couldn’t tell where the original entrances where, but the southern one may well have been original.

A nice site to wonder around on a summer’s day. Very relaxed with loads of atmosphere and the possibility of picking up Neolithic flints on the surface when there are no standing crops.

Chance – June 2009

Enford Bowl-barrow SU:129516

This bowl-barrow lies on the side of a hill, south west of the hamlet of Campion, Enford on the A342.

My visit came at the end of a day’s trek through the lower Pewsey valley. I had been out on manoeuvres, researching the Redhorn hill area. After travelling through the major sites of the area, along with the public houses, camp sites, village and farm shops, it signalled the final objective of that day’s mission. Having checked out the facilities around Urchfont, me and my bike were going up in the world, well trying to follow in the footsteps of the ancients, up the bridleway and onto Urchfont Hill. The game plan was to climb up onto the MOD impact area, cycling round the edge of the range, past Casterley Camp, and on towards Enford.

I was looking at a cycling route from stonehenge to Avebury. The route would involve travelling from the observation post at su 059554 over Chirton Gorse, via Ell Barrow at su 073574, to the outer observation post at su
077491. From here the choice is to travel right past the disused Greenlands camp army base and onto the the camp site at Orcheston. The left path leads past The Barge Inn, Rollestone Camp and into the Stonehenge World Heritage site via the haunted airmans corner and the Winterbourne Stoke or up the Packway’s hill and Fargo road, down the by-way to Stonehenge itself.

Riding along the track that sunny afternoon was great. The track itself was well maintained, and after the rutted Ridgeway, was a joy to me arse. The plain is a surreal place. When there are no exercises, it seems like a nature lovers Shangri-La. The army vecheles and personel seemed I encountered seemed pleased to find this guy crusing through their territory, on his way to who knows were. Twice buzzed by choppers, my primary objective was Casterley Camp, with it’s observation post and dog walker’s car park.

Casterley Camp turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. After the photo shoot, I was keen to move onto the Enford bowl-barrow. One final check of the map to see the direction the barrow was in and I weer gone. The top of the hill revealed the barrow to my left, high and proud. Standing out from the freshly cultivated soil, the green barrow signalled the continuing echo’s of our Bronze age ancestors.

Down the gully and onto the farm track. approaching the site, I decided to drop the bike into the nearest cover. The plan was to follow the edge of the fields (the headland), over the wire and under the barrow. This of course, was illegal. As there was no crop in the fields, standing or drilled, I felt justified to carry out the study up close and personnel. I had attracted the attention of the Land Rover passing the lane below, but making it clear I was taking pictures and the barrow was my only purpose, I pushed on. Moving round the side of the barrow, I startled 3 young doe’s who ran off towards the top of the hill, only to stand a watch this strange intruder.

The barrow is geert, as any local will tell you. At 48 metres in diameter and 5 metres high, it remains one of the largest surviving bowl-barrows in England. Bowl-barrows of this type include the Aldbourne Four Barrows group and probably the most famous barrow in England, Bush barrow , excavated by Sir Richard Colt Hoare in 1808. Enford bowl-barrow lost out to the likes of Sir Richard Colt Hoare’s hand and the marked depression on its
summit, is not the penetration mark of Greenwell’s shaft. Alas the cavity extending from the centre towards the east is evidence the barrow has been had. When this took place, and by who’s hand is unknown. Who was resident, or what ‘treasure’ was found, is also unknown. L. V. Grinsell’s visit of 1950 (see below), may be the only account left to us.

Having got to the centre of the barrow I performed me little ritual. “Blessed be to the ancestors”, “Blessed be Green Tara” I pronounced in me mellow voice. Digging into the tiny jar of honey with a straw from the barrow, an offering was made. It would had been nice to meditate upon that lovely hillside but shadows were beginning to lengthen and I had to haul my ass back to the A342 and heavy traffic. That was, if there wasn’t some irate farmer waiting for me at Compton farm.

Back in the saddle, and building up speed for a quick exit, the farm and it’s current custodians of the land were soon replaced by the buzz of prime time traffic. Pushing on past Upavon to Pewsey, the burger bar was calling, and the canal towpath would then take me back to themodernantiquarian.com/facility/50 The Barge Inn and my humble one man tent. Travelling by bike is not the easiest way to go, but it gives you a relationship with the llandscape that remains supreme.

A beer or two later and I slept like a log. Felt good, like I’d done something worth while. Had two more objectives the next day, the Giant’s Grave, Milton Lilbourne (SU189583), above Pewsey on the Everleigh road, and the Everleigh barrows (SU184561), beside cart-track from Lower Everleigh to Pewsey Hill.

Had a great day that day. Kept records of the characters I met, the facilities I visited and the sights, smells, sounds and emotions that came my way. If I ever get it together to finish “Down and Out in Ancient Wiltshire”, it will contain great content.

Chance – Equinox Sep 2007

Field Notes

Silver Barrow – SU04554723 – December 2007

This barrow sits on the top of a hill just south of Westdown Camp, outside the village of Tilshead. For a view of the area Silver Barrow lies in, see the SMR site – https://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/smr/getsmr.php?id=6734

Came here December 2007, via the back lane from Tilshead which cuts around Westdown Camp and onto the MOD training area. It was a Sunday and there were no red warning flags, indicating there was no military activity.
The barrow is easy to spot as it now has a flag pole beside it and a well made track running alongside it. Had been over the other side of the A360, looking at Old Ditch Longbarrow , Tilshead Lodge Longbarrow and White Barrow .

Silver Barrow’s position just inside the MOD training area has led to problems with military tracked vehicles, such as tanks and all terrain vehicles driving over it. To prevent further damage, the site is protected by a ring of wooden posts and is clearly marked with “No Digging” signs.
Although these measures have prevented damage by the humans, badgers can’t read, but are pretty good at digging, and decided the barrow, it’s ditch and the surrounding area, would be pretty cool for their setts. Wessex Archaeology indicated that the setts had severely disturbed a large spread of flint knapping waste which lay on the old ground surface beneath the mound. As a consequence of this, Silver Barrow now lives up to it’s name and the animal proof wire netting that surrounds the area, shimmers in the winter sun.

The only known “excavation” was made in 1801 by the school master of Tilshead, Mr. Tucker, assisted by his neighbour Mr. Bartlett. They report finding the bones of about 7 people, an iron knife, a bone handle, and a small urn which was broken in two.
The account of this incident is the only known record and it appears in Sir R.C. Hoare’s’ 1812 “The Ancient History of Wiltshire Vol. 1” under the Heytesbury section, Station III on page 93.

Sir R.C. makes comment upon the diversity of his study into the different types of barrow he is investigating. Of the round barrows he encounters, they..“display such a variety in their external design, and internal deposits, as to confound all system, provided we were inclined to form one ; but the long barrows are so uniform in their construction, and uninteresting in their contents, that we have at length given up all researches in them, having for many years in vain looked for that information, which might tend to throw some satisfactory light on the history of these singular mounds of earth.”

It would appear Sir R.C. not only visited the barrow but viewed the finds from it. This must have been a puzzle for looking at the barrow he says.. “It is not circular, but resembles an egg cut lengthways, with the convex side upwards, the widest base being sixty-nine feet. The earth for raising this barrow had been excavated from the sides, each end being level with the down.”
As for the account of their findings, Mr. Tucker and Mr. Bartlett are recorded by Sir R.C. as..“In making a large section through layers of chalk and vegetable earth to the depth of nearly seven feet, they discovered the bones of about seven persons who had been interred on a pavement of rude stones, and lying very irregularly” Sir R.C. goes on to comment, “as in Bowls Barrow and other long barrows”.

There is no record of the age or sex of these bodies, or even if they were re-buried in the barrow, but it would appear Sir R.C. examined the finds and writes...“The only articles found with them was an iron knife, a bone handle, and a small urn broken in two, which was made of a clay intermixed with stony particles, was turned in a lathe, and was rounder, better burned, and different in fashion from the British urns : the knife resembled those found in Knock Castle, and in the Roman villa at Pitmead.”
He then concludes by saying......“All these circumstances tend to prove that this tumulus was not of Celtic origin, but probably the sepulchral mound of some Romanized Briton.”

I have yet to visit Bowls Barrow, I think it’s only open when the village of Imber opens, but I have visited some of the barrows that are under this Roman-British label and this barrow does not resemble anything like their shape. For a clearer idea on this see my field notes on Mount Wood and Round Hill Tump or as listed by Camerton Round Barrow on the BANES bit of TMA.

It would be easy to dismiss this barrow as not Celtic like Sir Richard does but these people may have been migrate Celts from a Europe becoming increasingly influenced, and trading with, Rome. They could easily have been part of the Belgae, the Aduatuci maybe. I hope that one day the bones of these people could answer that question and a little bit more of this mystery is revealed.

Chance