Monument record 1184/0/1 - Probable Bronze Age Round Barrow, south-west of the River Great Ouse

A low mound occupies part of one of the former gravel islands at SP78393995. It survives to a height of c.0.60m and is surrounded by a single ditch c.30m in diameter. The top of the mound is crossed by traces of ridge and furrow cultivation. The ditch was 3.75m wide, up to 0.80m deep and is separated from the mound by a berm over 2m wide. The clay silts which filled its base were waterlogged but appear to have a low potential for the recovery of environmental information. The hollow above the ditch was covered by material which either had eroded or had been ploughed off the adjacent mound. The original edge of the mound lay at a distance of some 2m from the inner edge of the ditch and sealed an old soil horizon. No finds were recovered from either level (although excavation was deliberately kept to a minimum), but two flint blades or scrapers of prehistoric type were found in the ditch. The form of the monument is consistent with interpretation as a prehistoric burial mound or barrow.

{1} Cropmark ring ditch, uncertain prehistoric.

{2} Surface examination of the series of gravel islands led to the identification of a low, roughly circular mound at SP78393995 where the cropmark of a ring ditch had been identified previously by aerial photography. The form of the monument, confirmed by trial excavation, denotes a prehistoric burial mound or barrow.

Despite being crossed by the remains of later ridge and furrow the mound still stands up to 0.60m high. There is no visible evidence of the encircling ditch and an attempt to establish its position using geophysical survey was unsuccessful. Four grid squares each 20m long were surveyed. The weak magnetism of the soil, combined with the similarity between the material above the ditch and the composition of the mound itself produced a lack of results.

A single trench c.1.5m wide was extended from the centre of the mound for 75m. The outer edge of the ring ditch surrounding mound was encountered 18m from the centre of the mound. The ditch was 3.75m wide and approximately 0.8m deep. The outer edge of the mound was 2m from the inner edge of the ditch. No artefacts were present in the bottom of the ditch, however two struck flints (including two blades or scrapers) were recovered from the overlying layer together with a small number of animal bone fragments.

{4} The evaluation of an area of proposed gravel extraction in the upper Great Ouse valley identified a series of gravel islands within the alluvial floodplain and confirmed the presence on one of a prehistoric burial mound.

{5} Two trenches were targeted on the possible barrow earthwork. No archaeological features or evidence of the barrow was seen in either trench.

<1> Buckinghamshire County Museum Records, (checked) (Note). SNN27397.

<2> Dix B.N., 1991, Archaeological Evaluation at Passenham in Northamptonshire, p.6-7 Figs.5+6 (checked) (Full Report). SNN1381.

<3> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<4> Northamptonshire Archaeological Unit, 1991, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN48966.

<5> Moan, P., 2014, Old Stratford to Kiln Farm Water Main Replacement: Archaeological evaluation report, October 2014, p. 15-16 (Report). SNN110440.

Record last edited

Jun 4 2024 9:50AM