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Ashen Hill barrow cemetery: a group of eight round barrows 500m southeast of Harptree Lodge

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1010513
Date first listed:: 19-Jul-1933

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1010513
Date first listed:: 19-Jul-1933
Date of most recent amendment:: 09-Jan-1992

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Somerset (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Chewton Mendip
National Grid Reference:: ST 53911 52055

Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

The Ashen Hill linear round barrow cemetery survives comparatively well despite areas of localised disturbance caused by B.M.Skinner's partial excavations in 1815. The survival of the barrow mounds and the fills of the barrow ditches give the cemetery potential for the recovery of archaeological and environmental evidence relating both to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The area between the barrow mounds appears to survive undisturbed and is likely to contain further burials in the form of flat graves and urnfields as well as evidence for Bronze Age occupation. The importance of the monument is enhanced by its association with a second linear round barrow cemetery 300m to the south, as well as its proximity to the `Priddy Circles' 450m to the north. Numerous other burial monuments of the same date also survive in the area. Such evidence gives an indication of the intensity of occupation and the nature of social organisation present in the area during the Bronze Age period.

Details

The monument includes Ashen Hill Barrows, a linear barrow cemetery comprising six bowl barrows and two bell barrows aligned west to east set on gently rising ground. The westernmost of the eight barrows [ST53825208] comprises a mound 14m in diameter and c.2.25m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level a ditch, from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument, surrounds the mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. The mound has an uneven surface, possibly the result of disturbance from a partial excavation by B.M.Skinner in September 1815. The excavation uncovered a cremation burial but no finds were reported. [ST53855207) Bowl barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.2.25m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch surrounds the mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface, possibly the result of disturbance from a partial excavation by B.M.Skinner in September 1815. A central cremation burial with part of a bronze blade was reported. [ST53885207] Bowl barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.3m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface, possibly the result of disturbance from a partial excavation by B.M.Skinner in September 1815. A cist containing a possible primary cremation and a large broken decorated urn was discovered. [ST53915205] Bell barrow comprising a mound 15m in diameter and c.2m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years and survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. A narrow berm c.0.30m high and separating the barrow mound from the quarry ditch was recorded in an account of the excavations by B.M.Skinner in 1815. A central depression 2m across may mark the site of a previous excavation. The mound was excavated by B.M. Skinner in 1815. No finds were reported. A subsequent excavation in 1894 by the Wells Natural History and Antiquarian Society uncovered four cremations as well as finds of worked flint blades and a barbed and tanged arrowhead. [ST53945204) Bowl barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.3m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch surrounds the mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface, possibly the result of disturbance caused by a partial excavation by B.M.Skinner in September 1815. The excavation uncovered a cist or stone grave containing a cremation burial and a bronze spearhead. [ST53975204] Bowl barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.3.5m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch surrounds the, barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface, possibly the result of disturbance caused by partial excavation by B.M. Skinner in September 1815. The excavation produced a cremation burial located in a cavity covered by a flat stone within c.15cm of the summit of the barrow mound. An earlier cremation burial and inverted ceramic urn located in a cist was also reported. [ST53985203] Bell barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.2.5m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. A narrow berm on the north side of the barrow was recorded in the account of B.M.Skinner's partial excavation in September 1815. Finds from the excavation include a small cist covered by a flat stone which contained a cremation burial and five amber beads. Other finds reported included part of a bronze spear or arrowhead, a bronze ring, and a perforated blue opaque glass bead. [ST53995201] Bowl barrow comprising a mound 18m in diameter and c.3.25m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface, possibly the result of disturbance caused by B.M.Skinner's partial excavation in September 1815. Finds reported include later, and one early, cremation burials located just below the Bronze Age ground surface, set in an oval cist and covered by a flat stone. A broken ceramic urn was also reported.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 13824
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
'Wells Nat Hist & Antiquarian Society' in Ref Wells Nat Hist & Antiquarian Society (1895), (1895), 7
'Wells Nat Hist & Antiquarian Society' in Ref Wells Nat Hist & Antiquarian Society (1896), (1896), 5
Grinsell, LV, 'Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological & Nat Hist Society' in Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Nat Hist Society, , Vol. Vol 85, (1939), 158-9
Grinsell, L, 'Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural Hist Soc' in Somerset Barrows Part II, , Vol. Vol 115, (1971)
Scarth, , 'Archaeological Journal' in Archaeological Journal, , Vol. Vol 16, (1859), 148-50
Wicks, A T, 'Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological & Nat Hist Society' in Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Nat Hist Society, , Vol. 97, (1952), 185-6
Other
MSS 33648, 143, Skinner, B M, Ref MSS 33648, 143,

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.