Reasons for Designation
A hlaew is a burial monument of Anglo-Saxon or Viking date and comprising a
hemispherical mound of earth and redeposited bedrock constructed over a
primary burial or burials. These were usually inhumations, buried in a grave
cut into the subsoil beneath the mound, but cremations placed on the old
ground surface beneath the mound have also been found. Hlaews may occur
in pairs or in small groups; a few have accompanying flat graves. Constructed
during the pagan Saxon and Viking periods for individuals of high rank, they
served as visible and ostentatious markers of their social position. Some
were associated with territorial claims and appear to have been specifically
located to mark boundaries. They often contain objects which give information
on the range of technological skill and trading contacts of the period. Only
between 50 and 60 hlaews have been positively identified in England. As a
rare monument class all positively identified examples are considered worthy
of preservation.
Details
The monument includes Claughton hlaew in Sandhole Wood, a 10th century AD
Viking burial mound. It is constructed of sand and measures approximately 17m
east-west by 13m north-south and up to 0.3m high. A ditch which is considered
to have originally surrounded the mound still survives as an earthwork 3m wide
by 0.1m deep on its south side; on its east and north sides this ditch has
been infilled whilst on its south side it has been destroyed by sand
quarrying. The mound was disturbed during construction of a new road in 1822.
It was found to contain a wooden box within which was an iron axe and hammer,
an iron sword and spearhead, a perforated stone axe-hammer, and a wooden case
containing an ornamental metal box within which was a brooch, beads and a
tooth. Antiquarian reports stated that a cinerary urn containing a cremation
was also found but that the urn was not preserved, suggesting that the hlaew
may originally have been a prehistoric bowl barrow reused during the 10th
century.
All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath
these features is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
27843
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
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
