| Summary : A Bronze Age bell barrow, known as Amesbury 46, survives as earthworks and forms part of the Cursus barrow group (Monument Number 219681). The round barrow has an overall diameter of 40m and comprises a roughly circular central mound, 1.7m high, which sits on a plinth surrounded by a ring ditch that is conjoined with that around Amesbury 47 to the west (Monument Number 942709). The plinth suggests more than one structural phase. The barrow mound was excavated by Colt Hoare in the early 19th century (Barrow 31) who described it as bowl-shaped and recovered burned bones with a small spear head, now in Devizes Museum. A collared urn sherd was found nearby in 1957. The barrow was listed as Amesbury 46 by Goddard and by Grinsell (as a bell barrow). In 1913 Maud Cunnington noted it was in good condition having never been ploughed. The barrow was surveyed at 1:1000 scale by English Heritage in April 2009 as part of the Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project. |
More information : `D' - SU 11804277; Amesbury 46, a bell barrow with an overall diameter of 137ft. Described by Colt Hoare as a bowl barrow but more likely to be a bell with a sloping berm. (1) Excavations by Colt Hoare (Barrow 31) located a primary cremation with a flat bronze dagger, which is now in Devizes Museum (DM 3400). (2-3)
A sherd of collared urn with twisted cord ornament was found on either this barrow or Amesbury 47 (SU 14 SW 429) by Mr. B.G Hopkins, 35 Breamore Ave. Chelmsford. Essex on 21.4.57. (4)
Amesbury 46; a ditched bell barrow confluent with Amesbury 47 (SU 14 SW 429). It is 2.5m high and has an overall diameter of 36m. (5)
Originally recorded as Amesbury 46 by Goddard. With a note by Maud Cunnington: condition good, 1913, never ploughed. (6)
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. (8-10)
The Bronze Age bell barrow referred to above (9-10) was surveyed at 1:1000 scale by English Heritage in April 2009 as part of the Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project. The round barrow has an overall diameter of 40m and comprises a roughly circular central mound, 1.7m high, which sits on a plinth surrounded by a ring ditch that is conjoined with that around Amesbury 47. The base of the mound measures 19m and the top is 12m in diameter. Berms separate the bottom of the mound and the edge of the plinth (between 1.3m and 4m wide) and the bottom of the plinth and the ditch (between 0.1m and 1.7m wide). The plinth measures 26m and the berm is 28m in diameter. The ring ditch measures circa 0.4m deep and between 5m and 8m wide. Hollows on top of the mound probably relate to Colt Hoare's excavations and more recent erosion scars are visible on the western side of the barrow. (11-12) |