Monument record 58/0/1 - Possible Neolithic Long Barrow, Rainsborough

An earthwork mound located north west of Rainsborough Camp. Traditionally known as 'The Barrow' with dry stone walling set into it. The walling is probably 18th century, contemporary with the landscaping of the adjacent hill fort. The earthwork may be older.

{1}SP 524 349: A mound located north west of the north west corner of Rainsborough Camp.

SP 53 SW 11: Traditionally known as 'The Barrow'. 30 metres long by 4 metres wide and 0.25 metres high, with dry stone walling
set into it. The walling is presumably 18th century, contemporary with the landscaping of the adjacent hill fort. The earthwork may be older since Morton refers to a small 'piece of ground entrenched' near the hill fort. [RCHM plan].


{2} Mound referred to in 1712;

{5} The revetment wall on the possible long barrow at Rainsborough is evidently of fairly recent origin and could be contemporary with the documented 18th century provision of similar walls around the adjacent hillfort. The walls define the dimensions of the mound as 8.00m wide and at least 35m, or perhaps 37m, long. The substantial curving ditch to the south east of the mound may be related to the earthwork defences of the hillfort, to which it runs parallel. Two other curving ditches lie to the north. One appears to run under the mound, thereby predating it. The other runs towards its western end.

{6} Ditches seen;

{7} Rainsborough long barrow lies 60m to the north west of Rainsborough hill fort and approximately 500m west of Camp Farm at Charlton. The long barrow lies on the side of a north facing hill and consists of a sub-rectangular mound, 30m long from east to west and 4m wide from north to south. On its upper, south side, the mound stands 0.25m high, and on the lower side the mound is 1m above the adjacent ground level. On the north side of the barrow dry stone walling was set into part of the mound in the 18th century. Although no longer visible at ground level, flanking quarry ditches, from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument, run parallel to the mound on its north and south side. These have become infilled over the years but survive as buried features c.2m wide.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.105 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<2> Morton J., 1712, The Natural History of Northamptonshire, p.86 (unchecked) (Book). SNN10113.

<3> 1967, Proceedings of The Prehistoric Society, 209-10 (Uncertain). SNN60199.

<4> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<5> NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGY, 1997, Rainsborough Long Barrow, SAM No. 13672, Charlton, Northamptonshire: Topographical, Geophysical and Badger Activity Surveys March - May 1996, (unchecked) (Report). SNN57955.

<6> English Heritage, 1992, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, (part checked) (Report). SNN47128.

<7> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 1986, DOE Scheduled Ancient Monuments: Northamptonshire (Parts 5-8) (Schedule). SNN104787.

<8> Chapman A., 1996-97, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1996-7, 27/215 Rainsborough (Checked) (Notes). SNN104580.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 7:59PM