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Historic England Research Records

Amesbury 15: Sun Barrow

Hob Uid: 219732
Location :
Wiltshire
Amesbury
Grid Ref : SU1150241611
Summary : A Bronze Age bell barrow located north of Normanton Gorse, and listed by Grinsell as Amesbury 15, also known as the Sun Barrow. Excavated by Colt Hoare in the early 19th century, he found a primary inhumation laid on an elm plank. The interment was accompanied by a bronze dagger in a wooden box, a small bronze knife-dagger, antlers and a pottery vessel described as a 'drinking cup', usually regarded as being a Beaker, though this need not be the case. Traces of three wooden poles were observed extending from the primary interment to the top of the barrow. All the finds except the bronze dagger, which is in Devizes Museum, are lost. The barrow is still extant as an earthwork. Scheduled.
More information : (SU 11504160) Tumulus (AT). (1)

Amesbury 15. A bell barrow with an overall diameter of
174ft. Excavations by Colt Hoare (Barrow 164) located a primary inhumation of an adult male on an elm plank accompanied by a grooved dagger in a wooden box, a small dagger, a richly ornamented drinking cup which had been crushed to pieces and antlers. Traces of three wooden poles extended from the inhumation to the top of the mound. (2-3)

The grooved dagger is in Devizes Museum (DM 1069), all other finds have been lost. (4)

A good example of a bell barrow. Published 1:2500 survey revised. (5)

Originally recorded as Amesbury 15 by Goddard. (6)

Additional references. (7-8)

SU 11504160. Bell barrow. Scheduling amended. (9)

The barrow is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs, and has been mapped by both RCHME's Salisbury Plain Training Area NMP and EH's Stonehenge WHS Mapping Project. (10)

Surveyed at 1:1000: known as the Sun Barrow because it lies on the Stonehenge solstitial axis: this large bell barrow is 4.3m high with an overall diameter of 56m and a flat summit 29m in diameter; the 8m wide ditch is still 0.4m deep and separated from the mound by a berm; some wear visible to the summit. (11)
Sources :
Source Number : 1
Source :
Source details : OS 6" 1961
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Source Number : 2
Source :
Source details : L Grinsell: Archaeological Gazetteer
Page(s) : 207
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Plates :
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Source Number : 11
Source :
Source details : D Field and T Pearson Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project: Stonehenge Down and Triangle
Page(s) : 6, 41-2
Figs. : 2, 3
Plates :
Vol(s) : 105-2011
Source Number : 3
Source :
Source details :
Page(s) : 205-6
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Source Number : 4
Source :
Source details : FK Annable, DDA Simpson (1964) Guide Catalogue to the Neolithic and Bronze Age Collections at Devizes Museum; p55 no. 351
Page(s) : 55
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Source Number : 5
Source :
Source details : F1 ANK 24-JUL-70
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Source Number : 6
Source :
Source details : EH Goddard: A list of prehistoric, Roman and pagan Saxon antiquities in the county of Wiltshire...
Page(s) : 166
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Vol(s) : 38, 1913-14
Source Number : 7
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Source details :
Page(s) : 490
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Plates :
Vol(s) : 10
Source Number : 8
Source :
Source details : Record numner 520
Page(s) : 175
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Source Number : 9
Source :
Source details : EH Scheduling amendment, 05-APR-1995
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Source Number : 10
Source :
Source details : USAAF US/7PH/GP/LOC122 1011-2 24-DEC-1943
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Monument Types:
Monument Period Name : Early Bronze Age
Display Date : Early Bronze Age
Monument End Date :
Monument Start Date :
Monument Type : Bell Barrow, Inhumation
Evidence : Earthwork, Sub Surface Deposit
Components and Objects:
Period : Early Bronze Age
Component Monument Type : Bell Barrow, Inhumation
Object Type : ANIMAL REMAINS, DAGGER, VESSEL, BOX
Object Material : Bronze, Pottery, Wood
Related Records from other datasets:
External Cross Reference Source : SMR Number (Wiltshire)
External Cross Reference Number : 835
External Cross Reference Notes :
External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (National No.)
External Cross Reference Number : 10314
External Cross Reference Notes :
External Cross Reference Source : SMR Number (Wiltshire)
External Cross Reference Number : SU14SW835
External Cross Reference Notes :
External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : SU 14 SW 104
External Cross Reference Notes :
Related Warden Records :
Related Activities :
Associated Activities :
Activity type : EXCAVATION
Start Date : 1800-01-01
End Date : 1810-12-31
Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1970-07-24
End Date : 1970-07-24
Associated Activities :
Activity type : AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH INTERPRETATION
Start Date : 1994-12-01
End Date : 1995-08-01
Associated Activities :
Activity type : AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH INTERPRETATION
Start Date : 2001-02-01
End Date : 2001-07-01
Associated Activities :
Activity type : MEASURED SURVEY
Start Date : 2008-01-01
End Date : 2013-12-31