| Summary : Neolithic long barrow and a standing stone. The barrow and stone are aligned south west-north east along a ridge with gives them a dominant position within the local landscape overlooking valleys to the north west and south east. The long barrow mound measures 32 metres in length and stands up to 1.75 metres high at its 19 metre wide north east end. At its tail, or south west end, it tapers away to ground level and measures just 4 metres wide. In 1894 a part excavation located two chambers on the south east side of the mound and at least one of these contained bone fragments, pottery and charcoal. Also found were two Anglo-Saxon burials which had been cut into the top of the existing mound. Unusually there was no evidence of flanking quarry ditches which are commonly found either side of long barrow mounds. Immediately north east, at a distance of 9 metres from the barrow mound, stands a single monolith, which was broken in 1923 but reset in its original location in 1924. This stands 1.8 metres high. There is no surviving evidence of other standing stones in the area and it is probable that the mound originally extended a further 9 metres to the location of the stone where a facade of standing stones would have stood. Scheduled. |
More information : (SO 29752106) Lyneham Barrow. Long Barrow (NR) Stone
(NAT) (1)
A previously disturbed long barrow, oriented NNE-SSW, 163 feet by 48 feet, excavated 1894. It was built mainly of stone and was apparently of a degenerate type having no recessed forecourt (but a single megalith on the NE end) and cists rather than chambers (4). There were some nine inhumations scattered about; two Saxon inhumations, one with spearhead and knife, the second with knife, and a further knife and umbo probably represented a third inhumation. Finds included flints and an iron sword or currency bar (3). Almost certainly a laterally chambered long cairn (5). (2-5)
Lyneham Barrow (name in local use) Long Barrow is situated in arable land upon the top of a hill. It is orientated NNE-SSW, is largely built of stone and measures 52.0m in length. The higher end is to the north and the height of the barrow increases from 0.5m to 2.0m at the point where an old stone field wall crosses
the barrow, 17.0m from the north end. Beyond, the barrow, in arable land, has been almost ploughed-out but a weathered sandstone megalith (published (1)) remains standing, 5.5m from the end. It is 1.8m in height above ground level, 2.0m in width and 0.5m thick. South of the wall, the barrow is densely overgrown with bushes. Its greatest width, at the wall, is 20.0m. The barrow remains as left by the excavators, much disturbed and hummocky.
Published 1:2500 AM survey and PFD revised. (6)
The material excavated by Edward Condor in 1894 is held in The Pitt Rivers Museum:
2 flint 'tools' - 1922.46.137 - .138
32 flint flakes - 1922.46.139 - .170
20 scrapers - 1922.46.171 - .190
a chisel and a borer - 1922.46.198 - .199
The museum database also notes that some of the skeletal material from this site is now held in the National History Museum, in London: PA SK 2669 [Present acc. no]; E.11.9/576 [Previous no]; Calvaria and mandible [Description]; Anglo-Saxon [Remarks]. PA SK 2670; E.11.9/577; Child's calvaria and mandible; Anglo-Saxon. PA SK 2671; E.11.9/578; Calvaria; Anglo-Saxon. PA SK 3304; 1952.2.20.2; Calvaria; Neolithic "Lyneham skull no.3" . PA SK 3704; 1952.2.20.1; Calvaria and mandible; Anglo-Saxon "Lyneham skull no.2". The first three skulls above derive from an excavation in 1922 headed by Lord Dulcie. The last two are from an excavation in 1952 headed by E. Comber. (7)
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