| Summary : A reconstructed Bronze Age round barrow, known as Amesbury 51, which forms part of the Cursus barrow group (Monument Number 219681). The round barrow has an overall diameter of approximately 36m. It comprises a roughly circular mound, 1m high, surrounded by a ring ditch, with slight traces of an outer bank visible to the north-west. The barrow was excavated by Colt Hoare in the early 19th century (Barrow 36) and completely re-excavated by Ashbee in 1960, after which it was reconstructed from the spoil to show the outward appearance. Ashbee's excavations showed the mound to be surrounded by a berm and causewayed ring ditch. The mound contained several inhumations, with finds including Beakers, some antler points, fragments of bluestone, and barbed and tanged arrowheads. The barrow was listed as Amesbury 51 by Goddard and by Grinsell (as a bowl barrow). Maud Cunnington considered it in good condition in 1913 but the barrow was severely damaged by ploughing in the mid-20th century, when it is also visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs. The round barrow was surveyed at 1:1000 scale by English Heritage in April 2009 as part of the Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project. |
More information : `C' - SU 11434273; Amesbury 51, a ditched bowl barrow 66ft in diameter and 4ft high. (1) Excavations by Colt Hoare (Barrow 36) located a primary inhumation with an `A' beaker and sawn off skull fragment 6ft below the ground surface, and a secondary inhumation at ground level with a drinking cup and a substance resembling decayed leather. There was an intrusive inhumation 2ft below the top of the mound. (2)
Amesbury 51 was re-excavated in 1960 by Mr. P. Ashbee on behalf of the Ministry of works. It revealed that the mound had a loam core capped by chalk, surrounded by a berm and a causewayed ditch. The mound contained an undisturbed contracted burial covered by a tapering board with a wooden, knife-like implement before the face. Also with the burial were a long-necked beaker (DM 483), a handled awl, a flint scraper and antler points.
An undisturbed contracted inhumation and a bell beaker were found lying in the silt of the ditch. There were also fragments of bluestone in the ditch silts which the body of the mound, doubtless incorporated when the barrow was raised.
The early excavation had only partially destroyed the central grave and the dimensions of a coffin or timber mortuary house were recovered. One skeleton was recovered and also the `sawn off' piece of skull which proved to be a trepanned roundel of unusual size. In the throw back of the 19th century excavations there were two barbed-and-tanged arrowheads and fragments of beaker pottery. (3-6)
(Authy 3 lists the barrow as Neolithic though contemporary references (4) and (5) list it as Bronze Age. The latter seem more likely to be correct.)
Amesbury 51; visually a simple bowl barrow 1m high. There is no sign of the berm or causewayed ditch. Published 1:2500 surveys revised. (7)
Originally recorded as Amesbury 51 by Goddard, with a note by Maud Cunnington: condition good, 1913, never ploughed. (8)
The full excavation report includes a radiocarbon determination of BM-287 1788 +/- 90bc. obtained from the timber found with the burial excavated in 1960. The report includes a full discussion of the structural and burial sequence of the barrow and of the inhumations. The round barrow was rebuilt from the spoil to give the outward appearance. (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. (11-14)
The Bronze Age round barrow described above (1-14) was surveyed at 1:1000 scale by English Heritage in April 2009 as part of the Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project. The reconstructed round barrow measures approximately 36m in overall diameter. It comprises a roughly circular mound, 1m high: its top measures 12m and its base is 28m in diameter. A berm around the eastern side of the mound measures between 1.5m and 2.5m wide. The surrounding ring ditch measures circa 5m wide and 0.25m deep, with slight traces of an outer bank, circa 2m wide and 0.15m high, visible to the north-west. A slight bank sits along the south-eastern edge of the berm, which shows signs of more recent erosion. (15-16) |