Summary : Group of three Bronze Age bowl barrows and a disc barrow located to the west of Tan Hill, listed by Grinsell as Bishops Cannings 46, 47, 48 and 94 respectively. No. 46, excavated by Thurnam in the mid-19th century, contained a cremation, possibly primary, with shale beads and pendant plus a faience bead. 47 and 48 were both also examined by Thurnam, who found that they had been previuosly excavated. However, a flint scraper was found in one of them. The disc barrow appears not to have been excavated. All are extant as damaged earthworks. |
More information : (A: SU 07426486, B: SU 07436482, & C: SU 07456479) Tumuli (NR) (1)
West of Tan Hill - Three bowl barrows, all excavated by Thurnam (2), 1853-57 (3). Bishops Cannings 46 (A) (Wessex grave): 14 paces by 5 ft, cremation (primary ?) with shale beads and pendant and one faience bead. Bishops Cannings 47 (B): 16 paces by 4 ft; Bishops Cannings 48 (C): 16 paces by 4 ft; both ditched and previously excavated with central hollow in mounds. A flint scraper was found in 47 or 48. All the finds now in the British Museum. Also west of Tan Hill - Bishops Cannings 94 (D): (SU 07446486) (4) disc barrow, mound 14 ft by 6 inches, berm 28 ft (average), ditch 15 ft by 1 ft, outer bank 15 ft by 1 ft. The berm varies in width and the western half of the barrow is destroyed. (2-3)
'A': SU 07416485, bowl barrow; 18.0m overall diameter rises 1.2m high above a 0.4m deep ditch 'B': SU 07426481, bowl barrow; 20.0m overall diameter; 1.4m high above a ditch which is 0.3m deep. The ditch has been destroyed on the N and W sides by quarrying. 'C': SU 07446478; bowl barrow, 20.0m overall diameter, and 1.5m high above a 0.3m deep ditch. It has been dug into and the spoil has obliterated the ditch in the west. 'D': SU 07436484, although the W half of this barrow has been removed by quarrying sufficient remains to identify a central mound 1.0m high above a ditch with an outer bank 0.6m high and probably originally some 40.0m overall diameter. There is now no identifiable berm, but Grinsell's classification, of perhaps 25 years ago, is accepted. Resurveyed at 1:2500. (5)
Grinsell listed the barrow at SU 07446484 ['D'] as a disc barow, Mound diameter 4.3m, mound height 0.2m, platform diameter 21.3m, ditch width 4.6m, ditch depth 0.3m, outer bank width 4.6m, outer bank height 0.3m. 39.7m diameter overall. (6)
The Bronze Age round barrows described by the previous authorities have been mapped from aerial photographs. (7-8) |