| Summary : An oval barrow located within the entrance of the henge TF 10 NW 59 and sharing the same east-west alignment (contrasting with the northwest-southeast alignment of the underlying cursus TF 10 NW 58). Despite its positioning, Francis Pryor has argued that the oval barrow was contemporary with both the henge and its inner ring ditch/barrow. Excavated in 1979-81, the barrow comprised a steep-sided sub-oval ditched enclosure 15.5 metres by 10.5 metres, with a very narrow entrance gap on the east-south-east. The ditch, or gully, originally held a continuous wall or revetment of oak uprights consisting of roughly 156 posts, at least some of which were subsequently burnt in situ. This probably occurred very soon after the construction of the timber strucure, and was followed by the creation of the oval barrow mound, which sealed a slightly off-centre crouched inhumation of an adult male, which lay within a north-south orientated grave. No artefacts were found within the grave. In fact no artefacts were recovered from any feature associated with the oval barrow. Its dating rests primarily on its presumed contemporaneity (or near-contemporaneity) with the henge. |