Monument record MDO5946 - Neolithic Long barrow, Pentridge

A Neolithic long barrow, much damaged by ploughing. Located immediately west of Bokerley Dyke and a short distance north of the northeastern terminal of the Dorset Cursus (Linear 41). In 1975 RCHME were initially uncertain as to whether or not this mound was in fact a long barrow. At the time, RCHME measured the mound as being 95 feet long, 70 feet wide and 4 feet high, aligned broadly southeast-northwest, and 4 feet high. Subsequently RCHME (in Bowen 1990, 1991) confirmed identification as a long barrow with large side ditches. Side ditches are visible on aerial photographs. Bowen (1991) also identified this mound with one dug into by Cunnington and Hoare in the early 19th century, based on Hoare's published description and map of sites in the vicinity. Both Grinsell and RCHME had previously assumed that Hoare was referring to a round barrow. Hoare described the mound as being surrounded by large sarsen stones. His finds were purely Saxon, relating to an intrusive 7th century burial – which is recorded separately as MDO5947.

[NGD note 27-02-23: The NRHE-to-HER database information from NRHE 213530 has subsequently been split into 2 separate MDO records on the HBSMR database: Long barrow MDO5946 and the later Anglo-Saxon intrusive burial MDO5947. Therefore not all the information shown below from the NRHE-to-HER database is necessarily pertinent to this record for the long barrow.] (SU 03941951) Tumulus [NR]. <2> Long Barrow? (03941951), close to Bokerley Dyke and 300 yards north of the end of the Cursus, has been much damaged by ploughing, but earlier observations (Dorset Barrows, 81) and air photographs (NMR. SU 0319/3, 7, 8) indicate the presence of side ditches aligned southeast.-northwest. The mound is 95 feet long, 70 feet across and 4 feet high. <4> Long barrow with large side ditches now confirmed. This is almost certainly the barrow excavated by Colt Hoare, in which he found a rich 7th century Anglo-Saxon burial, as it is described as opposite to what was, with little doubt, the Bokerley Gap. The barrow is shown clearly on the map of 'Fovant Station', as are both pairs of round barrows excavated by Colt Hoare on Blagdon Hill. If this is so, it was also 'surrounded with large sarsen stones' <7.1>. <7> Illustration. <6> A Neolithic long barrow. Located immediately west of Bokerley Dyke and a short distance north of the northeastern terminal of the Dorset Cursus (Linear 41). RCHME were initially uncertain as to whether or not this mound was in fact a long barrow, largely because of the extent of plough damage, though it was noted that Grinsell had observed side ditches, these also being visible on aerial photographs. At the time, RCHME measured the mound as being 95 feet by 70 feet, aligned broadly southeast-northwest, and 4 feet high. Subsequently RCHME (in Bowen 1990, 1991) confirmed identification as a long barrow with large side ditches. Bowen (1991) also identified this mound with one dug into by Cunnington and Hoare in the early 19th century, based on Hoare's published description and map of sites in the vicinity. Both Grinsell and RCHME had previously assumed that Hoare was referring to a round barrow (unnumbered by RCHME but listed as Pentridge 13d by Grinsell). Hoare described the mound as being surrounded by large sarsen stones. His finds were purely Saxon, relating to an intrusive burial. Within the mound, he found a small hook, a buckle and a clench bolt, plus an ivory ring (from a bag or pouch). Below was an extended female inhumation, near the head of which were two further clench bolts. Grave goods included a biconical gold bead, 2 glass beads, one of them threaded on a gold wire ring, a jet bead, and a millefiori plaque suspended from a gold chain. The ornaments have been suggested to represent the remains of a rich necklace and linked pin suite, while the iron objects have been suggested to represent the surviving traces of a bed or similar structure on which the corpse was interred. [NB this barrow excavated by Hoare and Cunnington has been tentatively identified by some with one of the ring ditches just outside Pentridge (see SU 01 NW 77 and associated records). However, Hoare's account of the barrow's location, vague though it is, makes this long barrow a far more plausible candidate than any of the Pentridge round barrows]. <1, 3-9>

Record last edited

Feb 27 2023 12:27PM