Shooters Hut disc barrow, 1500m south-west of Duckley Nap.

Reasons for Designation

Disc barrows, the most fragile type of round barrow, are funerary monuments of the Early Bronze Age, with most examples dating to the period 1400-1200 BC. They occur either in isolation or in barrow cemeteries (closely-spaced groups of round barrows). Disc barrows were constructed as a circular or oval area of level ground defined by a bank and internal ditch and containing one or more centrally or eccentrically located small, low mounds covering burials, usually in pits. The burials, normally cremations, are frequently accompanied by pottery vessels, tools and personal ornaments. It has been suggested that disc barrows were normally used for the burial of women, although this remains unproven. However, it is likely that the individuals buried were of high status. Disc barrows are rare nationally, with about 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides important evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst prehistoric communities over a wide area of southern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare and fragile form of round barrow, all identified disc barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

The disc barrow known as The Shooting Box survives well and is a good example of an unusual class of monument; the only one of its kind known to exist in Shropshire. Though the upper central area of the barrow mound has been disturbed by past excavation and the construction of the shooting hut, the lower portion of the mound survives undisturbed and will retain primary archaeological deposits. The barrow mound and the surrounding bank will also preserve, sealed beneath them on the old land surface, important environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which the monument was constructed. The monument is one of several monuments of similar date on The Long Mynd and, as such, contributes to the understanding of the intensity of settlement and nature of land-use occurring in this area of upland during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a large disc barrow situated in a saddle known as 'The Burying Ground' lying below ground rising to the north-east and south-west. The central mound survives, though considerably disturbed. It is a circular mound 21m in diameter and up to 2.3m high. The centre and eastern quarter of the mound have been hollowed out to a depth of 0.8m and a concrete shooting hut has been constructed in the central excavated area. The damage to this eastern quarter is depicted on the OS map of 1882 and the cavity was used for the construction of a grouse shooting hut sometime before 1895. The current remains of the hut date from a later period when it was enlarged and refitted. The elevations and floor survive, forming a rectangular yard 4.6m east to west and 3.5m north to south, the walls standing to 1.2m high with an entrance in the east side. The barrow mound is positioned centrally within a surrounding bank which forms a circular enclosure with an overall diameter of 54m. The area internal to the bank is at the same height as the natural ground level. The enclosing bank itself is between 5m and 6m in width and stands up to 0.5m high. The enclosure is crossed by a modern trackway running south-west to north-east cutting through the bank in the north-east and south-east quarters. Elsewhere the bank is well defined except for some 17m in the north-eastern quadrant where it is reduced and spread. There is no visible surface evidence of a ditch from which the material for the construction of either the mound or the surrounding bank was quarried. The remains of the concrete shooting hut are excluded from the scheduling though the ground beneath it is included.

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:

19099

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 1st Edition Source Date: 1882 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:

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