Uley long barrow, also known as Hetty Pegler`s Tump, 400m south-east of Knapp Farm House

Reasons for Designation

Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows appear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and, consequently, it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 long barrows are recorded in England. As one of the few types of Neolithic structure to survive as earthworks, and due to their comparative rarity, their considerable age and their longevity as a monument type, all long barrows are considered to be nationally important.

The Uley long barrow survives well and is known to contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. This barrow is a well-known and good example representing a group of long barrows commonly referred to as the Cotswold-Severn group, named after the area in which they occur.

Details

The monument includes a chambered long barrow situated on level ground with views to the south and east. The barrow is known as Hetty Pegler`s Tump after a 17th century owner of the field in which the monument is situated. The barrow has a mound composed of small stones; it is trapezoidal in plan and orientated from north-east to south-west. It has dimensions of 51m by 30m and stands to a maximum height of 3m. At the eastern end of the monument there is a forecourt consisting of a recess flanked on either side by projections of mound. This forecourt has dimensions of 12.5m by 2.5m and leads into a north-east facing entrance defined by two standing stones capped by a stone lintel. Beyond the entrance is a stone gallery 1m wide and 10m long, which leads into two pairs of side chambers and an end chamber. These chambers have average dimensions of 1m in width, 3m in depth and 1.2m in height. Partial excavations were conducted at the site by Dr Fry in 1821 and by Dr Thurnham and Professor E A Freeman in 1854. The excavations of 1821 revealed that there were two human skeletons and the lower jaws of several wild boar within the blocking of the entrance to the tomb. A total of thirteen human skeletons were recovered from within the tomb. Six of these came from the entrance passage and, although most were disturbed, two were still in a crouched position. Four skeletons were recovered from the eastern side chamber, including one of a woman, along with finds of animal teeth and Neolithic pottery. The western chamber contained more Neolithic pottery and parts of one human skeleton. The north-eastern chamber contained two more human skeletons and, near to the top of this chamber, within six inches of the surface, was a skeleton orientated broadly NE-SW accompanied by three Roman coins dating to the Constantinian period (AD 312-337). This represents an intrusive Romano-British burial. The 1854 excavations revealed more fragments of disturbed human skeletons within the passage, including fragments of nine human skulls and more animal teeth and boars tusks. The barrow`s mound is flanked on either side by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. These have become infilled over the years, but survive as buried features c.5m wide. The site is one of three long barrows known in the locality. Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts and gates relating to the field boundary, although the ground beneath all these features 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:

22858

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Details of partial excavations,
Origin of the name Hetty Peglar, English Heritage, Ancient Monument Terrier,
Details of 1821 excavations,
Details of 1854 excavations,

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