Priddy Glebe Barrow: a bowl barrow 25m north of St. Lawrence's Church

Reasons for Designation

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

The barrow 25m north of St Lawrence's Church survives comparatively well despite an area of localised disturbance caused by the Rev T Palmer's partial excavation in 1894. Although it is possible that the primary burial has been excavated, it is believed that secondary burials, the fills of the ditches, and some of the barrow mound remain intact. The barrow will therefore contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating both to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The importance of the monument is enhanced by its location in an area which supports a concentration of contemporary burial monuments, thus giving an indication of the nature and scale of human occupation during the Bronze Age period.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located on level ground 25m north of St Lawrence's Church and known as `Priddy Glebe Barrow'. The barrow mound is 25m in diameter and c.1.5m 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.3m wide. The ditch is crossed by a hedge on the south and west sides which separates the monument from the present churchyard. The barrow was partially excavated in 1894 by the Rev T Palmer, then Vicar of the parish of Priddy. A burial aligned west to east and possibly contemporary with the construction of the monument was found facing south. Also a secondary cremation burial was recorded. Finds from the site included a bronze knife or dagger, a bronze awl, and some worked flints. The finds are now in the Wells Museum.

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:

13839

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Barnes, E E, Wells AR in Barrows of the Neighbourhood, Vol. Vol 23, (1911)
Palmer, T, Wells Archaeological Review in Wells Archaeological Review, Vol. Vol 8, (1896)
Tratman, EK, Proceedings of the Univ of Bristol Speleological Society in Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society, Vol. Vol 3(1), (1927)
Tratman, E K, Proceedings of the Univ of Bristol Speleological Society in A Stake Circle Barrow - Priddy, Vol. 11 (3), (1968)
Wicks, A T, Wells Archaeological Review in Barrows on Mendip, Vol. Vol 26, (1914)
Grinsell, L, Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural Hist Soc in Somerset Barrows Part II, Vol. Vol 115, (1971)

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