Monument record 1766/0/1 - Prehistoric Round Barrow

Aligned with a long barrow to its north-east.

{1} Cropmark indistinct edged wide ring ditch in grass; possible barrow; PLAN: 9670033.

{2} Earthwork; possible round barrow or modern mound; 20m in diameter and 1m high; no visible ditch; a cow burial was found in the centre in 1946; information from the farmer; doubtful barrow.

{3} Ploughed; 23m in diameter and 0.3m high; traces of ditch 2m wide.

{4} The barrow at Raunds is situated 500m to the north-west of Redlands Farm and just to the north-east of a lake which is located on the western side of the A605. It lies on low-lying ground in the valley of the River Nene. The barrow consists of a low round mound which is 23m in diameter and 0.3m high. Around the barrow mound there are traces of a ditch about 2m wide.

{5} NCC Aerial Photograph: SP9670/008.

{6} The magnetometer survey responded to a circular feature slightly greater than 20m in diameter. The feature has been detected as a negative anomaly and as such represents an unusual response suggestive of a ditch containing a fill with a significantly lower magnetic susceptibility (MS) than the surrounding soil. This may in tum be due to the ditch being filled with stone (perhaps with local limestone) or it having been excavated at some stage and subsequently in-filled with a low susceptibility fill (perhaps a more recent deposit of river alluvium).
The activity detected within the ring is fairly intense and is certainly not a typical response to the interior of a burial mound. The latter does suggest that if this was originally a barrow it has been re-used or interfered with at some stage. Indeed, this type of disturbed response is more usually associated with buried masonry structures. Within this area an L-shaped negative anomaly can be discerned which may represent an in-filled excavation trench.

{7} (SP 96257083) ?Tumulus, diam 25 yds ht 3'6". A dead cow was buried in its centre about 1946.

{8} Mr G A Betts the farmer who buried the cow in 1946 confirmed the above siting. The field has been arable for some time and no surface remains of the mound can be seen.

<1> 1987, AP PLAN FILE(NCC), (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN37362.

<2> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.78 Site 2 (checked) (Series). SNN77379.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP97SE13 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<4> English Heritage, 1993, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, (part checked) (Report). SNN48078.

<5> Northamptonshire SMR Collection of Aerial Photographs, Used with NMR & CUCAP collections (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN104822.

<6> Cole, M, 1995, Raunds Area Project, March 1995: Report on geophysical surveys at three barrow sites near Higham Ferrers, Northants (Report). SNN111612.

<7> Annotated Record Map, Corr 6" 15.5.50 (H C R Frost) (Map). SNN112961.

<8> Baird, J, 1969, Field Investigators Comments, F1 JB 26-NOV-69 (Note). SNN111452.

Record last edited

Feb 4 2025 7:56PM