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.
Details
The monument includes a long barrow set on the crest of a steep south facing
slope within 2km of the south coast of the Isle of Wight. It survives as an
earthwork orientated east-west and appears pear-shaped in plan. The barrow
mound is 31m long, 9m wide and varies in height between 1m at the east end and
0.2m at the west. Two large sandstone blocks are set on the east end of the
mound. The upright stone is c.4m high and too large to have formed part of a
burial chamber while the recumbent stone is 3m long. Flanking the north side
of the barrow mound are the traces of a ditch from which material was quarried
during the construction of the monument. This survives to a width of c.3m and
is 0.2m deep. The ditch S of the mound is believed to survive as a buried
feature.
The site was partially excavated by J.Hawkes in 1956. Finds included a
sandstone kerb revetment on the north side of the mound as well as a flint
scraper and two sherds of pottery believed to be contemporary with the
monument.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12307
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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.
End of official list entry
