Monument record 1765/0/4 - Bronze Age Round Barrow (Barrow 4)

A Bronze Age barrow was identified as a cropmark and subsequently confirmed by trial trench excavation in 1985. The barrow was excavated in 1985.

{1} Earthwork; possibly a Bronze Age round barrow measuring 30m in diameter and 0.5m high.

{2} Situated at SP966715; low barrow mound.

{3} Trial excavation undertaken by P. Garwood in 1985, the trench revealed a slight mound of sandy loam; a few flints and several large pieces of carbonised wood planks were found; no in-situ burning was noted.

{4} Ploughing of the gravel terrace, probably during the later Iron Age and Roman periods, damaged the mounds of Barrows 1-3 and disturbed the Bronze Age land surface which now survives only beneath the mounds. The ploughing did not however extend very far on to the floodplain where a buried soil is pre- served beneath up to 0.50m of later alluvium which has partly buried Barrow 4.

{5} Barrow 4 had been built in two phases. A small mound of topsoil was added to by upcast from an encircling ditch (diameter c.27m) with two opposed causeways. An unaccompanied cremation was found within the mound.

{6} In the base of the mound there were a series of charred timbers. One of the timbers was radiocarbon dated to 2110–1680 cal BC (3530±70 BP; OxA-3053) and provides a terminus post quem for the mound, since the timbers must have been incorporated during its construction.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.57/Site 2 (checked) (Series). SNN77379.

<2> HALL D.N.; HUTCHINGS J.B., 1972, The Distribution of Archaeological Sites Between The Nene and The Ouse Valleys, p.14 Site 9 (checked) (Article). SNN35780.

<3> Garwood, P., 1985, Irthlingborough Barrow Group 1985: A Summary Interim Assessment of the 1985 Survey, and Proposals For Future Work, (checked) (Interim Report). SNN46797.

<4> Dix B. (editor), 1986-7, The Raunds Area Project: Second Interim Report, 21/5 (checked) (Article). SNN76070.

<5> Humble J, 1991, Raunds Area Project 1987-90, 23/104-5 (checked) (Article). SNN104526.

<6> Harding, J. and Healy, F., 2008, The Raunds Area Project: A Neolithic and Bronze Age Landscape in Northamptonshire (Report). SNN106245.

Record last edited

Apr 24 2025 2:17PM