Summary : A disc barrow, part of the Oakley Down barrow group (SU 01 NW 19). Listed by RCHME as Wimborne St Giles 111 and by Grinsell as Wimborne St Giles 8, it comprises two mounds surrounded by a ditch and outer bank. Both mounds are close to the centre of the enclosed area, and are both circa 35 feet in diameter and 2 feet high. The berm is circa 60 feet across, and the ditch is 16 feet wide and 2 feet deep. The outer bank is of similar dimensions to the ditch. The barrow is cut on the southeast side by the Roman road (Ackling Dyke). Both mounds were dug into in the early 19th century by Cunnington and Hoare (their barrow 8). Both apparently showed signs of having been dug into before. In the more westerly of the two mounds, they found a small pit beneath the mound containing a cremation accompanied by over 100 amber beads plus spacer plates, presumably representing some form of necklace. Also present was a bronze dagger and a bronze awl. The other mound covered a pit containing a cremation plus amber, faience and shale beads, a bronze awl and an "Aldbourne Cup" accessory vessel. Potsherds were also found within the body of both mounds. Some of the finds from these mounds are in Devizes Museum. |