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SX 63878314. The Grey Wethers (NAT) Stone Circles (NR) (Restored (NAT) (1)
Two restored stone circles. In 1879, prior to restoration, the north circle had nine standing stones and six fallen stones;
while the south circle had seven standing stones and twenty fallen stones. Plan by W C Lukis in 1879 (2). When Spence Bate saw the circles in 1870 some stones had been recently removed apparently to repair the sides of the nearby leat. (2-5)
Authority 3 claims that several barrows have been found near to or in sight of the circles, but this is probably a reference to two barrows (SX 68 SW 18 & SX 68 SW 29) which were inspected in 1898. (6) Stone circles. (7)
Centred SX 63878314. The Grey Wethers are two well preserved, restored stone circles which are c.6m apart. They are situated in a shallow valley at 479m OD between Sittaford Tor (538m OD) to the W and rising ground (485m OD) to the NE. The area, under moorland pasture, has been disturbed by desultory amorphous diggings and shallow, natural erosion gullies.
The N circle, located on a level stance, has an internal diameter of approximately 31.7m with 20 upright stones and at least 4 ?socket holes (visible as irregular pits) which are on average 1m across and 0.3m deep. The White Horse leat (SX 68 SW 89) skirts the N-NE side.
The S circle, located on a slight E-facing slope, has an internal diameter of approximately 33m with 29 upright stones. The majority of these stones have been re-erected and some are now misaligned; almost all have groups of small packing stones around their bases. Tabulated list of stones in Archive. (8)
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Some of the stones of the circle are used as a gatepost in the wall. Baring-Gould told me that he found the late Mr Coaker's father (of Sherberton Farm) removing stones from the circle. This ceased when Baring-Gould explained the value of the circle to him. (1)
Remains of a 97 ft diameter stone circle with a stone wall passing through its western side (Plan). Known as Sherberton
Circle. There is no trace of any barrow or cairn. (2)
R H Worth's description is correct. Nine of the original stones are still standing, plus one larger stone which is incorporated in the remains of the old wall which bisects the western extremity of the circle. This stone appears to have been removed from the original circumference, and its height is 1.4m. The remaining nine stones range in height from 0.3m to 0.75m. Two of the stones found by Breveton are incorporated in the intake wall to the south as gateposts, and a third as a junction stone. The original circle appears to have been c. 30m across, although no stones appear to the west of the old wall. The length of the 2 fallen stones at the southern end is 2.6m and 2.4m (3) (SX 63937317) Sonte Circle (NR). (4)
On a slight south slope at 331m. OD are the remains of Sherberton Circle (name confirmed). It measures 29.8m. in diameter,
with stones set upright and averaging 0.7m. in height. The supposed fallen stones have the appearance of natural in situ
boulders fortuitously placed and unearthed. (see ground photograph) Otherwise the stone circle is as described and
planned by Worth. (5) Sherberton stone circle. (6) Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD and at 1:2500 for AO Records.
(SX 63937317) Stone Circle (NR). (7) Nine stones remain standing at Sherberton Circle; two large stones are fallen. The west segment of the circle is bisected by a reave. (8) SX 640732. Sherberton stone circle north of Swincombe, scheduled. (9)
SX 63937317. The Sherberton Stone Circle occupies a slight south slope at 329m OD and is situated just off the crest of a broad ridge. It overlooks, to the south the wide Swincombe valley and the moors beyond but to the north the view is restricted to the distant high tors by the rising ground of the ridge-top. The vistas to the east and west are also limited by rising ground.
The c. 29.4m diameter circle lies on the angle of two field walls; one, which cuts across its western side, is now a rather ragged line of boulders and stones with a vague shallow ditch on its east side. The ground surface, composed of a thick peat layer and close-cropped moorland pasture, is relatively stone-free and the area is pockmarked by shallow undulations and amorphous erosion gullies.
The nine surviving erect stones which could have been preserved because they were too small for reuse (see auth 1) range in height from 0.3m to 0.74m and in width from 0.3m to 0.6m. Four are small slabs and the remainder are squarish rounded blocks; six appear to be grouped in pairs and one set almost at right angles to the line of the circle.
The impressive 'kite-shaped' upright slab incorporated in the boulder wall to the NW of the circle is a maximum 1.45m in height and 1.65m in width. Its origin and purpose are unclear however although it is not on the line of the circle it is probably an integral part of the monument and may not have been displaced as suggested by Worth.
The two recumbent slabs in the southern segment of the circle measure 2.7m by 1.0m by 0.2m thick and 2.35m by 1.0m by 0.55m thick respectively. They are composed of a courser granite than their neighbours and they lie in a shallow depression which was probably caused by water erosion or livestock movement. They appear, on first sight, to be unrelated to the other stones because of their size and general form however if as suggested some uprights were robbed for reuse as gateposts then it is not unreasonable to deduce that these large stones would not have been out of place in the circle.
An almost completely buried boulder located on the west side of the boulder wall and more or less on the line of the circle might simply be a natural sub-surface feature. No socket holes or other buried boulders were detected by probing between the stones. (10)
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(SX 63047218) Pecked circle; not annotated. (1)
"Two hundred and fifty two feet from the kistvaen (SX 67 SW 27), and west by a little north from it, is a stone circle touching the wall of the enclosure. Its diameter is 28 feet". (2)
At SX 63037217, on a slight south slope at 359m. OD., are eight stones between 0.4m. and 1.0m. high forming a circle 7.3m. in diameter. Two of the stones are incorporated in a modern newtake wall which bisects the circle while several of the
remainder are quite small and some are boulders rather than post type stones. The circle is not complete and while the interior is featureless it is possible that the stones represent the peristalith of a cist, buried or destroyed during the
construction of the wall. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD and at 1:2500 for AO Records. (3)
A stone circle with six identifiable erect or leaning stones. One forms the E post of the gateway, the west post, 7ft high, stands outside the circumference. It is because of its small diameter, without doubt a retaining circle; any internal features such as a central hollow or possible kistvean have been obliterated by the wall builders. (4)
SX 63037217. The remains of this circle of stones lie just off the crest of a rounded high point on a S slope at 358m OD. The site, bisected by a drystone newtake wall (depicted on the 1802-03 OS 2" drawing) and observed by a thick reed bed, has extensive views to the S across the deep Swincombe Valley.
The original farm and dimensions are now difficult to ascertain. Six, possibly seven, upright or leaning slabs and boulders can be identified with certainty; other large recumbent slabs lie within or around the site. An arc of uprights, 8.5m across, indicates a possible diameter. The stones are varied; four on the N side of the newtake wall include an 0.3m high earthfast boulder, an 0.75m high 'post' and a large leaning slab 1.2m long, 1.0m wide and 0.5m high. On the S side are a 1.0m high post, now partially incorporated into the wall and an adjacent 0.6m high, 1.3m wide and 0.23m thick upright slab. A third stone may, as suggested by Hemery (5), be incorporated in the E side of the gateway. (5)
There is no evidence of a cairn although a perceptible rise is visible in the N half and in the newtake wall. (6)
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(SX 65488412) Fernworthy Circle (NAT) Stone Circle (NR). (1)
Fernworthy stone circle is 64 1/2 feet in internal diameter and is very nearly complete, with 26 stones standing and only four missing. The circle was examined in 1898 but no finds were made except charcoal on the surface of the 'growan'. No trace of any burials. (2) Diameter 19.5., the circle now comprises 27 stones, the largest being 1.1m high. (3)
SX 64108320. This cairn is situated in a shallow natural depresion on a gentle S-facing slope at 475m OD. The area has been extensively disturbed by peat cutting activity. It is a turf-covered stony mound 5m in diameter and a maximum 0.5m high. There is no evidence of a kerb or excavation pit. (5)
Centred SX 65488412 in a clearing in Fernworthy Forest is a stone circle currently containing 29 stones (excluding trigger stones). It has an internal diameter of 19.3m (N to S) by 18.6m and is circular for all but an inward-turning kink in the N edge. The stones average between 0.6m and 0.5m tall, although they are generally larger in the S side, being up to 1.1m tall. Two stones not depicted by Butler (7) or Worth (2) visible in the S edge nearly flush with the ground.
Around the stones in the SE, SW and NW areas of the circle are substantial erosion hollows with channels leading away under the adjacent trees. Inside the circle are a number of amorphous hollows, mounds and scarps which are probably associated with the excavation work of 1897 which found little except for charcoal over the surface of the bedrock. (6)
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(SX 65507207) Stone Circle (NR) (Remains of) (NAT) (1)
Remains of a stone circle known as 'Down Ridge Circle'. It consists of a quadrant of an 81ft 2 ins diameter circle described by four slablike upright stones and three fallen stones (Plan). (2)
On a north slope at 378m. OD is the remains of 'Down Ridge Circle', (name confirmed), as described and planned by Worth.
The largest remaining stone of the circle, which would have been about 25.0m. in diameter, is 2.6m long and 1.7m. high (See GP). Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. (3) This feature is as described by authorities. Surveyed at 1:200. (4)
The remains of a stone circle comprising five upright granite slabs, with a further six lying where they have fallen. A separate standing stone is located 85 metres south east of the circle at SX 6557 7199. Scheduled. (5)
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(SX 65968601) Triple Circle (Stone Circle) (NR) (Remains of). (1)
A barrow with a four-fold retaining circle marks the southern end of a Stone Row ('B' SX 68 NE 16). The outer circle, consisting of nine standing stones and one fallen stone, is approx 29 feet in diameter to the internal faces of the
stones. Possibly seven stones are missing. The inner circle, approx 19 feet in diameter, has six standing stones and possibly
once had four more. The third circle, approx 15 feet in diameter, consists of eight standing stones and possibly once had two more. The innermost circle has four stones,two standing, and possibly once had two more. The diameter is approx 8 feet.
With the exception of Lukis every observer has described this as a triple circle. (2)
A small barrow with peristalith 25ft in diameter, two interior circles of othostats and a wrecked cist. (3)
A cairn at the southern end of a stone row with four circles of stone, the outermost with a diameter of 30 feet. Immediately
adjoining the circle are two large fallen stones. One is a pillar 11 1/2 feet long and the other a slab over 7 feet with
one end broadly triangular in shape. They probably stood facing each other at the ed of the stone row. (4) Fourfold Circle (NAT) Stone Circle (NR). (5) None of the authorities consulted gives this cairn a proper name. Triple Circle and Fourfold Circle are always used descriptively.
A turf covered cairn, 10.0m in diameter and 0.4m in height with a ruined central cist of small slabs.
Two concentric circles of orthostats and a perimeter circle protrude from the turf. See photograph. Surveyed at 1:2500. (6)
SX 65968601 Fourfold Circle a sub-circular configeration of four apparently consentric stone rings. The outer ring has a diameter of 9m, the others have diameters of 6.4m, 4.7m and 2.4m respectively. The monument comprises 29 visible stones. Most are approximately 0.3m in height although they vary from 0.1-0.55m. The middle two rings define the bottom and top of the scarp of a small earthern cairn apparently an integral part of the monument. It is most pronounced on the E (downslope side). In the centre is a roughly sub-circular pit measuring 1.3m by 0.7m and 0.45m deep; it is probably the remains of a badly robbed cist. On the N side are two fallen stones. When upright they may have served as a focal point for the end of the stone row (SX 68 NE 16 B). They measure 3.4m and 1.2m in length, the former being inscribed `GP' (for Gidleigh parish) and confirming its reuse as a boundary stone. Both stones lie within a pronounced erosion hollow 0.3m deep. If the stones did function as a pair at the end of a stone row, then their relationship with the fourfold circle is unclear.
(See RCHME archive survey `The Stone Rows on Shovel Down' at 1:200 scale). (7)
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(SY 10748790) Seven Stones (NR) (Site of) (NAT) (1)
A group of stones believed locally to have been a stone circle known as "Seven Stones" are shown on a map of 1789:
"On the open moor about 50 feet on the Otterton side of the hedge, there used to be an interesting monument. It is laid down in the old map dated 1789, in the possession of the Lord of the Manor, as the `Seven Stones'... It consisted of six large upright blockds of stone placed in a circle, with a seventh in the centre. It stood at about 200 yards north of the path that leads down te plantation down Stintway Lane to Bickwell, or from Bickwell up the hill, and about 50 feet out of Sidmouth Manor. It has been destroyed within the last century to make the rockery at Bicton Park."(a).
These stones have now been removed and it is not known whether they were standing stones or outcrops. (2)
No trace could be found here of any stones. (3)
The site of the Seven Stones agrees with the OS siting symbol, although the parish boundary here has subsequently moved to the west since the 1st edition OS 6" map of 1888. (4)
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A 38.0m diameter stone circle, on Mardon Down at SX 76768719, comprised of 23 stones; two are standing, three are leaning and the remainder are recumbent. Twenty yards to the south is a kerb circle. Plan. This stone circle was first recognised by Dr J Milles in 1752 and he referred to it as a 42 pace diameter stone circle with an 8 pace diameter circle 20 yards to the south. (1)
SX 76768719. A stone circle is on the plateau of Mardon Down at about 1100 ft OD. It consists of 20 stones making a constant diameter of 38.0m. Only 5 stones are upright or leaning, the rest being recumbent or stumps. A further 3 stones lie outside the circle, probably displaced. The upright stones are up to 1.0m high. Surveyed on OS 6". (2) SX 76758716. A cairn 8.6m by 6.2m diameter and 0.6m high. Part of the substantial perimeter kerbing is visible. Surveyed on OS 6".
SX 76738723. An amorphous and unsurveyable mound of stone and earth which may represent the site of a cairn. Maximum height
0.4m, approximately 8.0m diameter. Sited on OS 6". (3)
(A) The stone circle is as described above. It is cut on its S.W. by an old enclosure bank which probably utilized stone
from the circle in its construction. The narrow rig and furrow within the embanked area (a) infers a late Medieval or post Medieval origin (See ground photograph).
(B). SX 76748715. A cairn with a maximum diameter of 9.8m., and 0.6m. high, the top evidently disturbed, but grass and furze covered. Kerb stones, within the perimeter, are large boulders which protrude through the cairn to a height of 1.3m. (These stones are similar to the kerb on Crownhill Down SX 5760) See ground photograph.
(C) SX 76778722. A much despoiled cairn, now grass and furze covered, in an area of loose boulders and outcrop. It is 15.0m. in diameter, generally 0.5m. high but up to 0.8m. high on the north where there is a residual rim. Group surveyed at 1:2500.
The 'mound' noted by Authority 3 is not a cairn but possibly a patch of soil. (4)
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(ST 5776 9723) Broad Stone (NR) (1) A standing stone, 8 1/2ft high, 1 1/4' thick, and 5 1/2' wide at the base tapering to a point at the apex (see M XI (a)). Its position, on the severn alluvium and facing the river, is unusual, and it may well have marked a crossing at this point. Bradeston (1269 Minn Acct): le Brodestone 1320 Ass.). (2-3)
The standing stone at ST 5776 9724 measures 2.7m high by 3.5m wide at the base, tapering to a point and 0.16m thick. A few packing stones are visible around the base. See GP. Published survey (25") correct. (4)
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(SP 17242581) Whittlestone or Whistlestone (NR) (Site of) (1) The Whistlestone was probably the last remnant of a burial-chamber as human bones were found beneath it in the mid-19th century. (2) (SP 17322529) Removed to the vicarage paddock.
A much weathered irregular-shaped stone 1.4m by 1.0m and 0.4m thick stands at SP 17302534 in the NW corner of the vicarage paddock. The vicar confirms that this is the stone known as the Whittlestone. Surveyed at 1:2500. Stone moved c.1978 to outside the village hall. (3-6)
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(ST 85199537) (1). Two possible megaliths in a ploughed field. One measures about 6 ft by 4 1/2 ft, and its upper surface is level with the ground. The other measures about 6 ft by 5 1/2 ft by 1 1/2 ft thick, and protrudes from the ground at one end. There is no trace of a mound, but there are several large stones in the covert wall opposite. (1-2)
Three moss-covered recumbent stones, the largest being 1.4m by 1.1m by 0.2m, have been used recently as a base for a field clearance heap. There is no trace of a mound but the position, on the lip of a dry valley, is a typical site for a long barrow in this area. Position surveyed at 1:2500 at ST 85189540. (3)
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(ST 81189467) Megaliths. (1) Megaliths in, and close to, a field boundary. There is an upright stone partly built into the wall on the north side, its upper end being free. It is about 3 ft 4 in in height, 1 ft 5 in wide and 7 in thick. South of the wall lies a large stone 4 ft 7 in long and 3 ft 4 in. in breadth, partly embedded in earth. Two other very large stones are built into the north side of the wall west of the upright, and several more occur which are larger than usual for wall construction. There are indications that the wall at this point stands on a slight elevation. (Possible site of barrow). (2)
ST 81179467 The erect stone is as described by Crook and Tratman. See G P. The stone to the south of the wall was not located, neither could the other two 'very large' stones be identified. Both the adjoining fields at this point are under plough, and there is no evidence of a mound here, either in the fields or in the alignment of the wall. Surveyed at 1:2500. (3) The site of the Bronze Age standing stones and possible barrow referred to above (1) were viewed on available aerial photographs as part of The Cotswold Hills NMP survey but no mound or stones were identified. (4)
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(ST877999) Approximate site of Cobstone (1). Said by Playne to have been a remarkably fine standing stone which formerly lay on the edge of Minchinhampton Common due west of the Longstone (ST 89 NE 34) and due north of the Picked Stone (ST 89 NE 30). It was removed about 1835 for building purposes. (1-2)
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(ST 819 923) Stone (NAT) (1) (ST 81959237) Stone (NAT) (2) Megalith on a barrow. (3)
Megalith standing on a circular mound 15ft in diameter by 3ft high. The stone, of much-weathered oolite, stands with its long axis approx N to S, and slightly to the E of the centre of the mound. It is 7ft high by 5ft wide at the base, tapering towards the top and 6 in thick. The stone stands at the end of a vista, and may have been moved from its original position, a view held by some of the Boxwell estate workers. Another elderly employee; however, believed the site to be sepulchral, and could not remember the stone being moved. (4) The Directory (a) describes a barrow at Boxwell, "whereon is a large upright stone above 6ft high", and there is little doubt that this refers to the megalith surrounded by traces of a barrow (probably round) beside the road to Boxwell House. (5) It is possible that this feature and the nearby mound (ST 89 SW24) were originally part of a single long barrow. (6)
This stone has clearly been moved and it now stands at ST 81959238 some 10.0m SW of its original position. It stands at the position shown in the photograph (authority 4) ie atop a small mound 5.0m in diameter and 1.0m in height.
The Kellys Directory entry of 1856 states that the stone was on a barrow so the inference is that either the mound was considerably larger at that date, large enough to accommodate a move of 10.0m, or the stone stood at the edge of the barrow in the manner of a peristalith. In either case the identity as a barrow remains; only the true nature of the stone is in doubt. (7) The standing stone and barrow referred to above (1-7) were not visible on aerial photographs viewed as part of The Cotswold Hills NMP survey. This stone and barrow may be related to the stone and long mound recorded to the northwest (Monument Number 209203). (8)
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(SU 04989979) MP (Cirencester 2) (Cricklade 5) (NAT) (1)
"Preston: This parish is bounded to the westward by the Irmin-Street, one of the Roman way passing through Cirencester, and at the distance of two miles from the town, but in this parish, there stands an ancient rude stone, about 4 feet high, lately painted and marked as a milestone. This is vulgarly called Hangman's Stone ....." (Rudder records the folklore concerning this stone.) (2) "Hangman's Stone. On boundary of parishes of Siddington and Preston. Latitude 51 41' 47". Longitude 1 55' 40". Height above OD 381 feet". (Listed under Standing Stones. - Crawford quotes Rudder (2).) (3)
The milestone probably disappeared during road widening about three years ago. The Glos CC workman concerned with milestones could not recall what happened to it. (4)
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(Area SO877007) The site of the Langstone lies somewhere in this area. (1)
The Lang Stone, probably the remains of the burial chamber of a long barrow, may possible be identified with the Long Stone (ST 89 NE 36), although according to E N Witchell it was situated north of Woeful Dane Bottom and to the east of Minchinhampton Camp, where it was traditionally placed with two other stones to mark the burial place of three Danish chieftains. (2)
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(SP 030091) A standing stone mentioned in a Saxon charter of 852 AD.,Beck Swan, and later known as the 'Beck stone', still survived in 1660 where the North Cerney parish boundary crosses the White Way about 400 yards north of Nordown. (1-2)
A field immediately to the south-west, at SP 029090, is called Beckstone in the Tithe Award of 1837. (3)
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The Long Stone (NAT) (SH 88409990 sited to name only.) (1) ST 88369992. A standing stone 7ft 9in high on the remains of a mound. To the west is a smaller stone which has been incorporated in a modern wall, but is still in situ. The site is probably the last vestige of a long barrow. (2) Rudder likens the barrow on which the Long Stone stands to that of the Tingle Stone (ST 89 NE 12). (3) The Long Stone, ST 88349991, is 2.1m high, 1.7m wide and 0.4 thick. The smaller stone, ST 88339991, is 1.2m long, 0.7m high and 0.3m thick. It is incorporated in a modern wall but at right angles to it. There are no remains of a mound. The field is under the plough. Published survey 25' revised. (4)
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In about 1903 Passmore noted that there was formerly at the N. end of the Nightingale Farm a large slab of stone which bore the impression of a human foot. Known as the "Devil's Footprint" it had been destroyed before Passmore's time and the information came to him from his father, and "old Daniel Skinner", who had assisted in breaking up the longstones. (SU 18 SE 31). Nightingale Farm is at SU 166815. There is now no remembrance of the stone, which would have been above a 1/2 mile from Longstones Field. The authenticity is slight but notable because of the parallel in the recently discovered footprints on a B.A. cist slab at Pool Farm on the Mendips. (1)
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(SU 16748251) Long Stone (TI) Standing Stone (LB) (site of) (TI). (1)
There formerly stood at Broome a standing stone called the Long Stone. According to Aubrey it was c.10ft high and from it there extended a line of smaller stones. (2)
Local tradition confirms the site of the large standing stone and implies that there were more as the field is known as.'Long Stones'. In 1903 Passmore recorded that "old Daniel Skinner" of Devizes Road remembered breaking up the standing stones in Longstones Field. Some, which were sarsen, were taken to Woodstock. This last remark of Passmore's suggests a pre-historic origin for the site since surface sarsen is not common locally though isolated boulders occur in the clay. In the 19th c. Swindon procured sarsen kerbstones from the Fifield and Overton Down areas of Salisbury Plain. (3)
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(A: SU 1296 6946 and B: SU 1297 6949) Standing Stones (NR). (1)
Two stones situated in the hedgerow immediately south of Down Barn. Possibly part of a circle or the peristalith of a long barrow.
(A) is 7 ft in height, (B) is 5 ft (Not listed in VCH 1,pt 1 nor mentioned by Bowen and Fowler (WAM 58, 1961-3, 98-109). (2)
(A) SU 12956946; A stone 1.9 m high and 0.9 m by 0.9 m at the base.
(B) SU 12966949; A stone 1.4 m high and 1.0 m by 0.8 m at the base.
Both stones appear to have been artificially erected, but there is no evidence of any associated earthwork, and any allusion to a long barrow or stone circle must be purely speculative. See G.Ps. Published survey 25" correct. (3)
The location given for the stones lies within the area mapped at 1:10,000 from APs by the Fyfield Down and Overton Down Mapping Project. The stones were not recorded by the AP survey, nor was there any evidence of a barrow at this location. (4)
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[ST 55494978] LONG BARROW [GT]. (1) T.235(3) - investigations during 1947 showed this to be a much ploughed down long barow, but its present measurements of 80ft. long x 60ft wide cannot be regarded as indicating the original size. Oriented E - W, it is higher and wider at the eastern end with a maximum height of rather less than 2ft. No stones are visible other than those normally present in the soil, and there are no signs of a ditch. (2-3)
This is a poorly defined mound 1.0m. high at ST 55484979. Although slightly oval in plan - and regarded as a long barrow
(Priddy 51) by Grinsell - it appears more likely to be a bowl barrow that has been spread by ploughing. Surveyed at 1:2500. (4) ST 5549 4979: Mound claimed as a long barrow an shown as such on OS maps. Visited by Grinsell in September 1963 and considered by him to be a round barrow. (5)
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(SX 25439970) Froxton Wood Castle (NR). (1)
"On this estate is an ancient earthwork called Forkstonewood Castle; the area is oval, its greater diameter measuring 160 feet, its lesser 145 feet. The perpendicular height of the bank is 10 feet and the breadth of the ditch at the bottom the same". (2) SX 25439970; A 'round' situated just below a ridge on a SW facing slope. It is in grassland but is much reduced by ploughing except in the SW and NW where it is preserved by field boundaries. It is roughly circular, some 70.0m across, overall, but with distinct "corners" in the N, E, and S. The ramparts comprise a ditch up to 1.4m deep with an outer counterscarp bank up to 0.8m high. The entrance was probably in the E, and in the interior there is a rectangular platform 10.0m NW-SE by 8.0m terraced into the hill slope. Resurveyed at 1:2500; it is still called Froxton Wood Castle. (3) Earthwork (NR). (4) The SW boundaries of the site consist of a ditch 3.2m deep in a woodland strip. The rest of the site is under pasture with the ditch 7m-1m deep. No other features are apparent and no entrance is obvious. (5)
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(SX 25229969) Hilton Wood Castle (NR). (1) "Hilton Wood Castle is an ancient earthwork, the area of which is oval, and measures 215 feet by 170 feet. The height of the bank is 14 feet, and the breadth of the ditch is 12 feet; the circumscribing vallum is in good preservation." (2)
SX 25229969. An oval, univallate, defended settlement some 95.0m NNW-SSE by 80.0m overall, situated on a ridge. The well preserved rampart comprises a bank which rises up to 2.8m above an outer ditch 0.8m deep. In the N and E is a counterscarp bank up to 1.0m high. The entrance is a simple gap in the E side, a break in the rampart in the NE being modern. Resurveyed a t 1:2500; it is still known as Hilton Wood Castle. (3)
A very fine monument indeed. A ditched camp with the bank rising 4-5m over the base of the ditch. An entrance seems to exist on the west side. (4)
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[ST 52815457: ST 52725461: ST 52625465: ST 52545469] TUMULI [GT]. (1) Tratman's T.142-145
T.142: A bowl barrow; diameter 90 ft. height 8 ft.
T.144: Another bowl barrow; diameter 80 ft. height 5. ft.
T.145: A truncated bowl barrow; diameter 96 ft. height 5 1/2 ft.
T.143: A mutilated, ditched mound 9 ft. high: probably the remains of a typical bell barrow and possibly Roman. (This group of barrows is aligned close to, and almost parallel with, the Roman Road). [RR 45 B]. (2)
T.143: A probable MBA bell barrow, badly multilated. Grinsell makes it about 6 ft. high (see his drawing) with an overall diameter of some 150 ft. The ditch is fragmentary but this may be due to rocky ground. (3)
There is another bowl barrow (T.273) at ST 52775464: diameter 27 ft., height 1 1/2 ft. (4)
Grinsell's Compton Martin group Nos. 8-11. His No. 10 (T.143), is tolerably right as a bell barrow; but a mound at ST 52685461 (his 9a 'doubtful'), is almost certainly mining spoil as is Tratman's T.273.
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Details of stone on Pastscape
A prehistoric standing stone 380m WSW of Portford Bridge. It stands 0.3m high, 0.15m wide and 0.04m thick and leans to the SW and stands within a slight erosion hollow.
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Details of hillfort on Pastscape
[ST 483164] Hillfort [GT] (1)
A multivallate Iron Age hillfort on Hamdon Hill more generally known as Ham Hill, encloses an area of 210 acres and has a 3 mile perimeter. Due to extensive quarrying of the Ham stone since Roman times the entrances are difficult to determine, but a turning in of the banks at the north-west and south-east of the fort, probably indicate them. Numerous finds, most of which have come from the over-burden during quarrying operations, and also from excavations in the north-western sector by H. St. George Gray in 1923-5 and 1929 testify to occupation of the area at least from Neolithic times. The most intensive occupation of the hill-fort appears to have been in the 1st cent. B.C. and during the first 60-70 years A.D. This is attested by numerous finds including a late - probably Belgic - pit burial; pottery sherds of Halstatt form (IA 'A'); bowls of Glastonbury type (IA, 'B' or 'AB'); bead-rim vessels and other forms of south-western type dating towards the time of the Claudian conquest; a bronze bulls-head of Celtic type (possibly an ornamental chariot fitting); chariot horn caps; iron tyres of wheels; bridle-bits and nosebands. Iron currency bars have been found, also silvered bronze coins of the Durotriges. In 1930 excavations revealed a closely grouped area of dwelling and storage pits of pre-Roman date. There is also considerable evidence of further occupation of Hamdon Hill during the Roman period, including a villa situated in the east part of the fort (ST 41 NE 8). Miscellaneous finds include a Saxon shield boss of iron, and a 14th cent. jug spout and bronze spur. The majority of the finds are in Taunton Museum, primarily in the Walter and Norris collections. (2-4)
Ham Hill is a bivallate contour following hillfort but in the S.W. corner it becomes trivallate. It is well preserved on all but the W. side where random quarrying makes it difficult to identify the ramparts. Two entrances can be positively identified; in the S.E. corner and on the E. side of the northern spur. Published survey (1/2500) revised. (5)
No change; survey of 10.1.67 correct. (6) Traces of an Iron Age settlement have been identified within the northern spur of the hillfort by Gray's excavations during the 1920s (7-9) and from artefacts recovered over a period of time during quarrying and a watching brief (10). It was originally thought that only the northern spur was occupied, and was separately fortified from the rest of the hillfort which was used as a cattle pound. Excavations carried out in 1983, identified pits containing daub, grain and probable second century BC pottery within the southwestern area of the hillfort. These excavations have shown that parts of the interior were devoid of structures, and that there was settlement beyond the area of the northern spur. (10-13) Burials have been identified on Ham Hill (ST 41 NE 70) including one with weapons and chariot fittings (ST 41 NE 71). Iron currency bars have also been recovered (ST 41 NE 72). For details of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Roman occupation see child records. (compiler - J Lancley) ST483164. Ham Hill consists of a plateau of shelly limestone with a spur projecting from its north-western corner. The sides of the plateau and spur are steep and their upper edges are followed closely by the hillfort defences. The defences at the northern and southern edges of the plateau have marked angles in their courses where major geological faults are encountered and negotiated. The total length of the inner circuit of the defences is 4.9km.
The form and number of defensive elements is fairly uniform throughout. The upper part of the hillside has been scarped to produce a steep inner rampart face. Generally the top of the inner rampart lacks a bank, or at least one of any significance, the major exception being the north-western spur where a prominent bank is present on the northern and eastern sides. The foot of the inner rampart is followed by a ditch which in places, especially where the natural slope is very steep, becomes a ledge or terrace. Beyond the ditch there is a second rampart represented by a bank. Where there is a terrace instead of a ditch the outer bank is replaced by a steep, outward facing scarp. Exceptions to this general pattern occur on the western side of the plateau and near the north-eastern corner of the spur. In these areas the defences are strengthened by an additional line of earthworks which comprise a ditch or ledge at the base of the second rampart beyond which is a third rampart consisting of either a bank or a steep, outward facing scarp.
The defences are broken by a number of entrances most of which are not original features; it is possible that the gap through the eastern defences on the north-western spur was created by the Roman army. There appear to have been two early entrances, one on the south-east near Batemoor Barn and the other at the head of the combe separating the spur from the plateau on the north-west - this last probable entrance has been totally destroyed by quarrying.
Geophysical survey of the interior has shown that the plateau area was extensively used in the past. Evidence for trackways, enclosures, fields, ring ditches, pits and areas of intensive occupation and industrial activity has been found (for reports see General Archive Materials below - UID/s 1005361, 1005362 and 1058425). Some of the fields are also visible as cropmarks on air photographs. A number of these sites appear to be related to the Roman villa whose principal range of buildings has also been revealed by geophysical survey in the eastern part of the hillfort. On the north-western spur a circlar depression and rectangular enclosure may relate to the use of this part of the hill for a fair during the medieval and post medieval period. South of these sites are the remains of four possible prehistoric round houses. The principal sites within the interior have been given individual NMR numbers and separately described (14). (15)
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Details of earthwork on Pastscape
[ST 53013730 - ST 53463822] Ponter's Ball [G.T.] (1) This is a linear earthwork about 15ft. high and ditched on the east. It is a five-eights mile long, and runs NNE-SSW across the high ground between Hearty Moor (ST 5339) and Kennard Moor (ST 5236), both formerly swamps. It probably formed a continuous defensive barrier with the earthwork 'New Ditch, (of similar construction and orientation), some three miles to the SW [ST 53 SW 20.] Bulleid put a section across Ponter's Ball in 1909, but found very little except a few potsherds; some fragments, from the old turf line under the bank, were regarded by Sir Hercules Read as Bronze Age: others, deep in the ditch, were thought to be Glastonbury Lake Village type, but as no sherd was decorated this classification is tentative. Pottery in Taunton Museum. (2-4)
This earthwork is similar to New Ditch but of more formidable construction. The gap through which the modern road passes is staggered and appears to be original; to the north of it the ditch is well defined, but to the south has been obscured by a modern hedge and drainage ditch. Radford suggests Ponter's Ball as part of a great Celtic sanctuary: probably 3rd.c. B.C.
The pottery from here is still in Taunton Museum (ACC.3434). surveyed at 1:2500. (5)
Ponter's Ball is possibly sub-Roman and connected with the DA occupation on Glastonbury Tor (ST 53 NW 4).
Excavation in 1970 appears to date Ponters Ball, at least at the point examined, to the 12th century or later. (6-7)
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Details of earthwork on Pastscape
[Centred ST 0967 2820] CAMP [G.T.] (1) King's Castle, Castle Hill, Wiveliscombe, an earthwork occupying nearly all the hill, much mutilated and defaced by quarrying on a large scale. Except for the central area, which is arable land, the remainder is considerably wooded. There was probably an inner rampart originally, several feet in height above the central area; below this a considerable scarp followed by a ditch and bank and a second scarp below.
Much-weathered human bones were found in 1914, lying on the rampart slopes and ditch by the late C.A. Lovegrove - (Somerset
County Mus. Acc. No. A704-6) and also at another time a red sandstone spindle whorl was found while ploughing (illustrated)
(2) [For plan see Illustrations Card] Multivallate Hill fort (4). (2-4)
This appears to be a univallate hillfort. Only at the southern end have the defences, a rampart with outer ditch and counter
scarp bank - survived major mutilation by quarrying. Here there is a well preserved staggered entrance.
Re-surveyed at 1:2500 Many Neolithic flints, including arrowheads, borers, scrapers, cores, blades, and a knife; were found on the surface of the hillfort in 1950 and 1952 by W.A. Seaby. They are in Taunton Museum. (5)
ST 097 282. Castle Hill, Wiveliscombe. Listed in gazetteer as a multivallate hillfort covering 4.0ha. (6)
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Details of cairns on Pastscape
Three small mounds are situated on Weacombe Hill at ST 1149 4054, ST 1150 4055 and ST 1157 4046. The last has been truncated. They are composed of earth and stone and all are possibly barrows, though all are in or adjacent to old field
enclosures. (1) No change, surveyed at 1/2500. (2)
Three Bronze Age burial cairns lie on the NW end of Weacombe Hill. The NGRs given by authy 1 are erroneous. The northernmost cairn lies at ST 1151 4066. It comprises a flat-topped stony mound, 5m EW, 5.7m NS and 0.7m high. To the SW of this, at ST 1149 4065, is a further cairn. This is a flat-topped, stony mound 7.5m in diameter and 1m high. A hole in its centre, 2mx1mx0.5m deep, is probably an antiquarain excavation. The cairn has been damged by narrow ridge and furrow ploughing. A third cairn lies to the SE, at ST 1157 4058. It comprises a flat-toppped stony mound, 8m in diameter and 0.9m high. This cairn also appears to have been ploughed over. The cairns were recorded using differential GPS as part of the EH survey of the Quantock Hills AONB (3).
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Details of enclosure on Pastscape
Possible Iron Age enclosure situated on a steep west facing slope of Bicknoller Hill. It is defined by a bank which encloses a sub-circular area measuring 97m by 87m. The enclosure is morphologically similar to the so called "hill-slope" enclosures common on Exmoor. The function of the enclosure is unclear as the steepness of the slope suggests it would be impractical as a settlement or even as a stock enclosure. Although it has a substantial rampart it is not in a particularly defendable topographical situation but it is highly visible and impressive when viewed from the valley below. A possible cross-ridge a dyke situated to the north east of the enclosure may be an associated feature although there is no actual evidence for this.
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Details of barrow on Pastscape
(ST 52065354) STOW BARROW (T.I.) TUMULUS (G.T.) (1) T71c - 51x 16' 42" N 2x 41' 14" W - a simple bowl tumulus 120 ft. in diameter and 12ft. high (2). Stow Barrow was 'Stoburghe' in perambulation of bounds of Mendip Forest, May 10, 26 Edward I:
'Stobarrow' Batch, permambulation Rodneystoke Manor, 1780 (3) Scheduled. (2-4) Stow Barrow (Grinsell's West Harptree 12,) is a bowl barrow 4.0m high.It is mutilated in the N.W. by digging. Surveyed at 1:2500 (5)
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Details of stone on Pastscape
(ST 14034065). Long Stone (BS) (NAT). (1) The Long Stone. A prostrate stone on a ridge called after it Longstone Hill. It is 4' 8" long, 17" wide, and so far as can be seen 8" thick. It tapers slightly and seems to have been squared. It appears to be an ancient boundary stone, but not prehistoric. (2) The only possible early example of a standing stone on the Quantocks is the Longstone at ST 142406. This was for many years recumbent but was re-erected by the Friends of Quantock in the 1960s. In the writers opinion it is unlikely to have been erected before medieval times. (The map reference mistakenly refers to an adjacent spot height). (3)
The Long Stone lies on the eastern slopes of Longstone Hill, at ST 1403 4066. The stone is an undressed rectangular slab of local sandstone, measuring 80x36x23cm. The slab has been squared off, and it tapers slighly at the top. No inscriptions are visible, but on the NE face is a sharp, incised circle 1cm in diamater which appears to be of fairly recent origin, and several lines have been scored on the sides of the stone. The Long Stone is likely to be a prehistoric standing stone, but it also functioned as a medieval or post-medieval boundary stone. It marks the boundary between the parishes of Kilve and East Quantoxhead. The stone was recorded using differential GPS as part of the EH survey of the Quantocks AONB (4) .
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Details of trackways on Pastscape
(ST 42184020 - 42904178). The 'Sweet Track', between the Shapwick Burtle and Westhay 'island', was discovered in 1970 by Mr Ray Sweet, and was excavated in three stretches, 'B' (Burtle), 'F' (Factory), and 'R' (Railway), between 1970 and 1977 (see Plan). Closely associated with it was a slightly earlier track, the 'Post Track', which was roughly on the same line and was probably largely dismantled when the Sweet Track was built. The construction of the Sweet Track was relatively refined and
consisted in stretches F and R of a pegged plank catwalk laid over peat packing round a continuous rail of cross-pegged tree stems (see Diagram). In stretch B however, as drier land was approached, the track was cruder, with various improvisations - timber matting, clay surfacing etc. (1) A number of radiocarbon and pollen analysis tests give a consistent dating to the track of about 3200 bc, making it the earliest known timber track in Britain. (2) In the F and R stretches a great quantity of well-preserved rough wooden artifacts was found - paddles, a dish, arrow-shafts, parts of bows, yew-pins, etc. There were also flint-flakes, leaf-arrowheads (one shafted), a chipped flint axe in mint condition (typologically late 4th millennium), a jadeite axe (also late 4th millennium, cf 2a), and pieces of at least 9 Neolithic pots. (3) The Sweet Track has now been investigated at four major sites along its route - The factory site, F, and the southern terminal, B (see reference 1 above) the Railway site, R (see reference 2 above) and the Drove Site, D. This report concerns excavations in 1977 at the Drove site, situated between the factory and burtle sites at the S. end of the route. (See Illustration Card for location plan). (4) In 1980 the full length of the Sweet Track was established and information obtained on its state of preservation. (5) Timber trackway scheduled at ST 423403, ST 422404-425409 and ST 426411. (7)
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Details of hillfort on Pastscape
[ST 485322] Dundon Hill CAMP [GT]. (1)
This consists of a bank of stones along the edge of the hill, the outer face of the hill top being steeply scarped. On the NW the bank has disappeared and there is only the scarp. Along the E side, about 16 ft. below the top of the bank, is a ledge below which the ground falls away steeply. The entrance was about the middle of this side, but has been much altered.(2) [Plan,see photo AO/64/107/4] Several flint flakes, a core and scrapers, also a few pieces of pottery of B.A. type were found by Bulleid on the surface within the camp in 1916. They are now in Taunton Museum (3). (2-3)
This is a univallate Iron Age hill fort. An entrance may have existed on the east side but quarrying has destroyed all traces of it. Published survey 1/2500, revised. Flints found by Bulleid still in Taunton Museum. (4)
ST 485 321. Dundon Hill. Listed in gazetteer as a univallate hillfort covering 5.5ha. (5)
The NMR holds detailed survey drawings and interpretational information on the site (6-11).
A spring issuing from the east side of the hill may have been a "Holy Well". early documents for the surrounding woodland known today as Hillwall Wood fefer to "Halgwyl", suggesting the spring to be that to which the name owes its origin. (12)
ST 48503220. Dundon Hill Camp is a defended hilltop settlement of c.5ha internal area. The site comprises a single earthwork rampart enclosing the upper surface of the hill, following the irregular form of the hilltop topography. An earthen mound, known as Dundon Beacon (ST 43 SE 9) intrudes into the south-east corner of the rampart circuit. The rampart varies in height between 0.5m and 2.5m and the defensive circuit is incomplete in several places, having been destroyed by later quarrying, including a 150m stretch along the eastern side. It is likely that the original entrance was positioned within this now destroyed section. Two openings in the defences which do survive, on the west side and on the south-east corner, which are used as access to the interior today, are likely to be later intrusions and not authentic entrances. Evidence for later use of the hill includes Limestone quarrying, consisting of a large, linear open trench of up to 17m wide and 5m deep, running diagonally across the interior. Cultivation of probable Medieval date is also evident with several lynchets extending around the surrounding hillslope. Some sections of the rampart have been re-used as field boundaries, which survive as decayed hedges. (13) The Hillfort was scheduled in 1996. (14)
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Details of barrow on Pastscape
[ST 48543199] Dundon Beacon Tumulus [GT]. (1)
Dundon Beacon was excavated by Hasell [c.1831] who found beneath its base a rude cist enclosing an inhumation in kneeling posture, together with an urn containing a number of penannular rings, thought to be of tin, much oxidised, rather more than 3/4" in diameter. A letter from Hasell to Colt Hoare referring to this barrow is in Taunton Museum. (2)
A large ditchless bowl barrow, 3.7 m. high. Published survey, 1/2500 revised. (3)
ST 48543199. An earthen mound sited on the south-east corner of the ramparts at Dundon Hill (ST 43 SE 15). It takes the form of a truncated cone of 35m diameter at base by approximately 5m high, with flattish top and evenly sloping sides. It is clearly later than the rampart into which it is built as the north-western sides of the mound, facing the interior, have visibly cut through the earlier earthworks and a hollow to the west of the mound, which has also destroyed parts of the rampart, was probably a source of material for its construction. A sloping earthen causeway appears to have given access to the mound from the north-west. The site was excavated in the 1850's when a burial was discovered leading to its current classification as a `Tumulus' on OS maps. Other interpretations include a motte and a firebeacon, all of which are plausible, though unproven. (4) The original account of the 1851 is contained in the volume of the Archaeological Journal for that year. (5) The feature is marked on the Ordnance Survey first edition map of the area. (6) The feature is noted in EJ Burrow's 1927 work on earthworks in Somerset. (7) First thought to be simply a bowl barrow, it may also have been a motte or beacon. (8) Recent investigation sugests that the original barrow was added to and modified as a Norman motte. (9)
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Details of Oakley Down Group on Pastscape
A group of over 30 barrows on the eastern side of Oakley Down. Most are located within the angle created by the Ackling Dyke Roman road and the modern road (A354). Most of the barrows are bowl barrows, although some disc barrows are also present, as are some mounds which are probably not barrows at all. The barrows occupy two spurs which slope gently towards a dry valley to the east, though their location may be in part due to the presence of the Neolithic long barrow Wor Barrow (SU 01 NW 14), visible on higher ground to the west. Many of the barrows were dug into early in the 19th century by Colt Hoare and Cunnington, and it is possible to identify most of the mounds excavated by them. Some of the finds from their investigations are in Devizes Museum, Wiltshire. All of the barrows in the group were previously described at length as part of this record. In order to simplify matters, each has now been recorded separately (see child monuments and associated monuments), while this record refers to the barrow cemetery as a whole and contains some additional sources and information relevant to the group as a whole.
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Details of Hillfort on Pastscape
A small univallate enclosure on Penbury Knoll. Circa 3.75 acres in area, it has been heavily damaged by quarrying, and parts of the interior are also obscured by trees and undergrowth. The enclosing earthworks appear incomplete, prompting suggestions that the enclosure is unfinished. On the west and north the enclosure is defined by a bank up to 25 feet wide and 2 feet high. In front of the bank on the west is a ditch up to 3 feet deep and 25 feet wide. Much of the remainder of the enclosure circuit is defined by a scarp up to 25 feet wide and up to 5 feet high. Behind the bank on the north side are some quarry pits which appear to be related to the construction of the bank. However, other depressions, some of which cut across the earthworks, clearly represent more recent quarrying. There is a gap on the eastern side of circa 100 feet which appears to be occupied by neither earthwork nor quarrying evidence. No certain entrance feature is evident, nor are there any traces of occupation in the interior. The field system to the northwest (SU 01 NW 52) appears to be related to the enclosure, but the precise relationship is unclear.
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Details of Badbury Barrow and stone on Pastscape
(ST 9602) The 'Badbury Barrow', which yielded remarkable finds when destroyed in 1845, was situated near Badbury Rings (ST 90 SE 45). Under the barrow mound, which was some 60 feet in diameter and 9 feet high, a central cairn of sandstone blocks was enclosed in a ring of flints bordered by a circular sandstone wall 30 feet in diameter, Within the cairn were at least three inhumations, apparently primary, two of them with food-vessels and one with an ornamental handled pot. Also probably in the cairn were at least fifteen cremations, a few perhaps primary, but most of them secondary, some with collared urns. At the centre, a huge slab of sandstone weighing half a ton was decorated with cup marks and carvings of daggers and axes similar to those at Stonehenge.
Opening another barrow in the same field, J.H. Austen found a primary cremation in a bucket urn with four lugs, in a charcoal
filled cist. (For possible sitings of these barrows see ST 90 SW 14 and ST 90 SE 52). (1-4)
A report on an opened tumulus one mile south of Badbury Rings bears many similarities with the feature recorded by authorities 1-4, and is probably the same barrow but seen by authority 5 at an earlier stage of its destruction. The barrow was 8 feet high, 225 feet in circumference and was opened for the purpose of obtaining flints. At 12 feet in from the outer edge, a circular wall of sandstone blocks, 3 feet high, was encountered, 'laid in a rude manner'. Within this was a fill of flints (of which 120 cartloads were wheeled away) shelving down towards the centre of the barrow. The nucleus consisted of chalk and 'mould', below which were 5 cists. Two secondary internments were noted. (The account of the barrow was communicated to the author by Dr Wake-Smart who compares the barrow to the tomb of Aepytus observed by Homer in Arcadia. Warne (auth 3) in his account of the Badbury barrow notes that Wake-Smart makes exactly the same comment concerning the Badbury barrow. There can be little doubt that authorities 3 and 5 are therefore refering to the same barrow).
Only 3 of the 10 or 11 urns discovered in 1845 have survived, but these indicate a Middle Bronze Age date. The carvings on a kerb-stone represent bronze weapons and cup-marks.
The decorated surface of this stone was detached from its block and is now in the British Museum. (7)
Full description of the pottery and carved kerb-stone. (8)
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Details of barrows on Pastscape
King Down Group of four barrows on the crest of a ridge, about 160 ft. above O.D. All have been damaged by ploughing, and (c) and (d) have been largely flattened. From one of these came two barrel urns, one of 'South Lodge' type.
(A) Bowl (98020341); diam. 65 ft., ht. 6 ft.
(B) Bowl (98030347); diam. 58 ft., ht. 6 ft.
(C) Bowl (98060345); diam. 45 ft., ht. under 1 ft.
(D) Bowl (98080344); diam. 45 ft., ht. under 1 ft. (2)
Air photographs taken April 15th 2002 show A and B extant as earthwork mounds and removed from cultivation. C and D are visible as ring ditches. Equidistant from the last two, and almost in between them, is another very small ring ditch. (3)
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Details of barrows on Pastscape
(Centred ST 961030) Tumuli (NR) (three shown). (1) A group of round barrows W of Badbury Rings:
'A' ST 96040300. Bowl barrow, 60ft diameter and 3ft high immediately adjacent to the Romano-British settlement (ST 90 SE 39) (RCHM No 50, Grinsell's Shapwick No 11, Crawford's mound 'S').
'B' ST 96060304. Possible barrow consisting of an oval-shaped mound 30ft by 40ft and 1 foot high damaged by modern tracks and cut by the side ditch of Roman Road (RR 4c) (RCHM no 51, Grinsell's Shapwick No 10, Crawford's mound 'T').
'C' ST 96100311. Bowl barrow, 30ft diameter and 1 1/2ft high. (RCHM No 52, Grinsell's Shapwick No 9, Crawford's mound 'K').
'D' ST 96200310. Bowl barrow, 40ft diameter and 3ft high immediately within the outer rampart of Badbury Rings. (RCHM No 55; Grinsells Shapwick No 15; Crawford's mound V)
'E' ST 96200294. Crawford's probable barrow 'W' partly covered by the ramparts of Badbury Rings. (Not mentioned by RCHM or Grinsell). (2-4)
Barrows 'A' to 'E' were field investigated in 1954.
A faint unsurveyable ditch surrounding Barrow 'D' was visible in all quadrants except the W when it was overlain by the outer rampart of Badbury Rings. Barrow 'E' consisted of a semi-circular mound, 15.0m N-S and 9.0m E-W with a maximum height of 1.0m. The unusual shape was thought to be due to quarrying for material during construction of Badbury Rings. The evidence suggested that the mound was the remains of a Bronze Age bowl barrow. (5)
Barrow `E' surveyed by RCHME in April 1993. As described by authority 5. Located on W side of middle rampart, some 30m S of southern entrance to barbican. E side has been cut by the outer lip of the rampart ditch. Some quarrying has taken place on the W side. (6)
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Details of hillfort on Pastscape
BADBURY RINGS a multivallate Iron Age hill-fort, is sited prominently on a chalk knoll rising to 327 ft. above O.D.; it commands wide views in all directions. Together with the adjacent settlement (ST 90 SE 37) it has been identified with Vindocladia of the Antonine Itinerary, and also with Mons Badonicus of Gildas. Its later history includes occupation by an army under Ethelwold, C. 899, and by the `Clubmen' in 1645. The site has not been excavated, but the earthworks indicate at least two phases of construction. The interior of the hill-fort is domed and largely covered with trees. A prominent fir copse, Badbury Clump, within a low embanked circle on the summit of the knoll had already been planted when Colt Hoare visited the site c. 1820. There is evidence of shallow quarrying immediately inside the inner rampart, doubtless to provide additional material for the defences. Detailed surveys of the hillfort and its interior by the RCHME were undertaken in April 1993 and in May 1998.
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Details of barrows on Pastscape
A diffuse group of 8 bowl barrows scattered across Week Street Down, north of the terminal of the Dorset Cursus (Linear 41). The individual barrows are all recorded separately (see ST 91 SE 166-173). They can probably be identified with seven barrows opened by Charles Warne on 8th September 1848. However, Warne left insufficient detail to allow correlation between his excavation records and particular barrows (and note also the more recent recognition of 3 further ring ditches nearby - ST 91 SE 118, 119 and 174 among other - which could just as plausibly be identified with Warne's barrows). Details of Warne's excavations are as follows: Warne's tumulus 15 (Grinsell's Gussage St Michael 7a) - 6 feet high, composed of chalk and flints with some earth. Off centre, on the south, was a pit containing burnt bones and,a t its base, a skeleton with two flint knives. 16 (7b) - 6 feet high, chalk and flint mound. 2 feet from the surface were two skeletons and a flint arrowhead. 17 (7c) - a low, flat mound with an adult crouched inhumation just below the surface. 18 (7d) - 5 feet high, again earth and flints. In the centre of the mound was an upright pottery vessel. Nearby to the northwest was a pit cut into the natural chalk containing potsherds and calcined bones, surrounded by charcoal and "black mould". 19 (7e) - Chalk and earth mound again, but no height given. After removing the mound, he found 6 pits cut into the chalk, two of them containing some potsherds, the rest "disclosed deposits of burnt bones and ashes". 20 (7f) - previously explored by one of Warne's labourers, who had found a large pottery vessel which was destroyed in attempts to remove it. There is a reference to its "contents" but these are not described - presumably a cremation? The labourer had also found a pit containing calcined bones and potsherds. 21 (7g) - flint and earth again, and once more no height given. According to Warne, it was "found to be quite unproductive".
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Details of henge on Pastscape
Neolithic hengiform monument on Wyke Down. It had appeared as a cropmark ring ditch on air photographs, but excavation in 1982-3 revelaed a sub-circular arrangement of closely-spaced pits, with an entrance to the south. There was no evidence that the pits held any posts; finds from this primary phase included flint tools, carved chalk objects and animal remains. A second phase of use was represented by a shallow recut in the upper fill of each pit, and this was associated with the use of Grooved Ware pottery, as well as flints, animal remains and some human remains. A third and final phase is represented by a shallow pit at the centre of the enclosed area. Beaker and Collared Urn sherds were also found during the excavations. The entrance appears to face in the direction of the area of later Neolithic activity overlying the Dorset Cursus (Linear 41) to the south (see SU 01 SW 143). The monument also lies a short distance to the southwest of the Wyke Down barrow group (SU 01 NW 35), itself part of a more dispersed concentration of round barrows and ring ditches in this area on either side of the cursus.
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A fairly well-preserved early Neolithic long barrow on Hambledon Hill. Both long barrows (see also ST 81 SW 18) on Hambledon Hill appear to have been known by the same name by the later 19th century. The earthworks on Hambledon Hill were surveyed by RCHME in 1996. See the parent record (ST 81 SW 17) and the archive report for full details. This, the more northerly of the two long barrows, is located on a narrow spine of land which forms the central portion of the hillfort spur. Orientated south-south-east to north-north-west, the barrow measures 66 metres in length and is slightly trapezoid, diminishing in width from 16 metres to 13 metres, and in heigh from 2.5 metres to 1.8 metres from south to north; this implies that the front end faced south. Straight flanking ditches can be traced on each side of the barrow as minimal depressions or level terraces. A number of slight interruptions in the course of the western ditch may indicate that they were discontinuous or causewayed. A V-shaped trench cut through the middle of the barrow from west to east almost certainly represents antiqyarian excavation. It was commented on by Charles Warne (1872) though he does not mention any finds and it is uncertain if he knew when the excavation occurred. Other smaller holes dug into the barrow may also be excavations.
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Details of Long Barrow on Pastscape
An early but fairly short Neolithic long barrow on Hambledon Hill, totally excavated in 1977 and now reconstructed as an earthwork. Both long barrows (see also ST 81 SW 11) on Hambledon Hill appear to have been known by the same name by the later 19th century. This, the more southerly of the two long barrows, is situated between the main causewayed enclosure (ST 81 SW 17) and the southern cross-dyke (ST 81 SW 63), and may pre-date the initial construction of both of these earthworks. Survey by RCHME in 1959 showed the barrow to be circa 26 metres long by 13 metres wide, diminishing in height from circa 1 metre at the northern end. Its slightly trapezoid shape, together with an opening at the northern end in the surrounding ditch (revealed by later excavation) suggest that it faced north, towards the main causewayed enclosure. The mound was almost completely destroyed prior to ploughing, and was consequently totally excavated by Roger Mercer in 1977. It has since been reconstructed as a simple oval mound, 27 metres long by 10 metres wide and up to 1.3 metres high. Excavation showed the flanking ditches to have been dug as a series of interlinked pits which curved inwards at both ends of the barrow and linked up at the southern end. The ditches had experienced a similar sequence of use and re-use to those of the main causewayed enclosure. Large quantities of Neolithic bowl pottery were recovered from the primary ditch silts. A few fragments of human bone were recovered from the bulldozed material which had formed the mound. The earthworks on Hambledon Hill were surveyed in 1996 by RCHME. See the parent record (ST 81 SW 17) and the archive report for full details.
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Details of site on Pastscape
An Early Neolithic causewayed enclosure on the summit of Hambledon Hill, of which one third survives as earthwork and the remainder has been ploughed flat. It is interpreted as the central focus of a large complex of Neolithic monuments which occupy spurs of the hill in addition to its central summit (the hillfort spur to the north, the Shroton spur to the east, the Stepleton spur to the south, and the Hanford spur to the west). The main enclosure is one of the largest causewayed enclosures in England (circa 9 hectares), and is divided from the radiating spurs by pairs of cross-dykes which may equate to the middle and outer circuits of other complex enclosures. In 1974-86 a major programme of excavation directed by Roger Mercer examined most major earthworks on the Hill. The ditch contained placed deposits of human skulls and other bones, plus considerable quantities of animal bones. Stone axes from a variety of sources, and pottery from mainly local sources were also present. The abundant cultural material retrieved from the site has provided information about the community, including conflict, feasting, the treatment of the human corpses, exchange, stock management and agriculture. The disposal of individual artefacts and remains reflect the diverse use of the monument. Use of the enclosures and the construction of its individual parts was episodic, spread over 300-400 years, and was not representative of a lasting settlement. The relationship with Cranborne Chase to the east is highlighted by the cessation of activity on the hill in the late fourth millennium at the same time that the Dorset cursus and other monuments were built in the Chase. Renewed activity on the hill in the late 3rd and early 2nd millennia preceded occupation in the mid to late 2nd millennium, which was followed by the construction of a hillfort on the northern spur from the early 1st millennium. Later Iron Age, Romano-British, and Saxon activity has also been recorded on the hill.
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Details of Long Barrow on Pastscape
A Neolithic long barrow on Thickthorn Down, located on the crest of the ridge between the Gussage and Crichel valleys. Listed by RCHME as Gussage St Michael 11 nad by Grinsell as Gussage St Michael I. Aligned roughly southeast-northwest, it lies immediately southeast of the Dorset Cursus (Linear 41) and is clearly associated with it. When surveyed by RCHME prior to 1975, it survived as a well-preserved mound 145 feet long, 60 feet across and 8 feet high, surrounded by a ditch 25 feet wide which surrounds three sides of the mound, being open to the southeast. The barrow shares the same alignment, but is not directly aligned upon, the terminal of the cursus. Barrett et al (1991) point out that the cursus here "is unusual in lacking the squared-off end normal on this type of monument. Instead the end bank of the Cursus runs at an oblique angle to the sides, and since this is not demanded by the topography it may be a deliberate design feature, intended to link the southern end of the Cursus to the axis of an existing monument". They also argue that the disproportionatel large terminal bank may have been deliberate intended to imitate the general appearance of this long barrow and another a short distance to the south (ST 91 SE 23), although the curious misalignment of all three features remains unexplained. There is no record of any excavation. A Neolithic flint axe has however been found on the surface of a disturbed area on the barrow's western flank.
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(ST 97031238) Long Barrow (NR). (1) A long barrow situated on Thickthorn Down on the crest of the ridge between the Gussage and Crichel valleys. Aligned SE to NW, it lies a few yards SE of the Cursus (SU 01 NW 91) and is clearly associated with it. The well-preserved mound is 145ft long, 60ft across and 8ft high. It stands within a ditch 25ft across and up to 3ft deep, which is U-shaped in plan and open to the SE. (2)
A roughly finished later Neolithic flint axe or adze was found on the surface of a disturbed area on the west flank of the barrow. It may have come from a secondary deposit in the barrow. (3)
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Details of Long Barrow on Pastscape
A Neolithic long barrow located on the top of a ridge on Thickthorn Down, circa 250 metres southeast of the southwest terminal of the Dorset Cursus (Linear 41) and less than 150 metres southwest of the longbarrow ST 91 SE 21. Listed by RCHME as Gussage St Michael 12 and by Grinsell as Gussage St Michael II. RCHME described the barrow as a mound aligned northwest-southeast, circa 100 feet long, 60 feet across and 8 feet high. The ditch, which surrounds all but the southeastern end, measured 23 feet across and up to 3 feet deep. The barrow was completely excavated in 1933 by CD Drew and Stuart Piggott, assisted by Alexander Keiller and WEV Young among others. Drew and Piggott had suggested that the mound was preceded by a turf-built mortuary structure. However, re-analysis of the published sections suggests that, like a number of other barrows on the southern English chalklands, the mound was in fact constructed in a series of bays, perhaps defined and divided by rows of hurdles. No human remains were found in a primary position either beneath the mound or within the ditch. The primary ditch fills included sherds of Early Neolithic pottery, 2 carved chalk phalli, and a quantity of animal bone, with particular concentrations occurring in the ditch terminals at the southeast end. This pattern of deposition continued into the late Neolithic, with Peterborough Ware and animal bone again focused on these terminals. 4 secondary crouched inhumations, associated with Beaker pottery, were inserted into the centre of the mound, arranged in a line along the long axis of the barrow. One was also accompanied by a bronze awl. A few Beaker sherds also came from the ditch. 3 pits beneath the mound contained chalk rubble, burnt flints and charcoal. 3 postholes were found at the open end but their date and relationship to the mound are unclear. A radiocarbon date of 3210+/-45 bc (uncalibrated) was obtained from a red deer antler pick found on the old land surface beneath the mound.
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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.
Interested in the various tribes, how they divided their land, their agricultural calendar, 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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