Details

The monument includes Ashen Hill Barrows, a linear barrow cemetery comprising
six bowl barrows and two bell barrows aligned west to east set on gently
rising ground.
The westernmost of the eight barrows [ST53825208] comprises a mound 14m in
diameter and c.2.25m high at its highest point. Although no longer visible
at ground level a ditch, from which material was quarried during the
construction of the monument, surrounds the mound. This has become infilled
over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. The mound has an
uneven surface, possibly the result of disturbance from a partial excavation
by B.M.Skinner in September 1815. The excavation uncovered a cremation
burial but no finds were reported.
[ST53855207) Bowl barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.2.25m high
at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry
ditch surrounds the mound. This has become infilled over the years but
survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface,
possibly the result of disturbance from a partial excavation by B.M.Skinner
in September 1815. A central cremation burial with part of a bronze blade was
reported.
[ST53885207] Bowl barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.3m high at
its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch
surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years but
survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface,
possibly the result of disturbance from a partial excavation by B.M.Skinner
in September 1815. A cist containing a possible primary cremation and a large
broken decorated urn was discovered.
[ST53915205] Bell barrow comprising a mound 15m in diameter and c.2m high at
its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch
surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years and
survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. A narrow berm c.0.30m high and
separating the barrow mound from the quarry ditch was recorded in an account
of the excavations by B.M.Skinner in 1815. A central depression 2m across
may mark the site of a previous excavation. The mound was excavated by B.M.
Skinner in 1815. No finds were reported. A subsequent excavation in 1894 by
the Wells Natural History and Antiquarian Society uncovered four cremations as
well as finds of worked flint blades and a barbed and tanged arrowhead.
[ST53945204) Bowl barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.3m high at
its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch
surrounds the mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a
buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface, possibly the
result of disturbance caused by a partial excavation by B.M.Skinner in
September 1815. The excavation uncovered a cist or stone grave containing a
cremation burial and a bronze spearhead.
[ST53975204] Bowl barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.3.5m high
at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry
ditch surrounds the, barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years but
survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface,
possibly the result of disturbance caused by partial excavation by B.M.
Skinner in September 1815. The excavation produced a cremation burial located
in a cavity covered by a flat stone within c.15cm of the summit of the barrow
mound. An earlier cremation burial and inverted ceramic urn located in a cist
was also reported.
[ST53985203] Bell barrow comprising a mound 16m in diameter and c.2.5m high
at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry
ditch surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years but
survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. A narrow berm on the north side of
the barrow was recorded in the account of B.M.Skinner's partial excavation in
September 1815. Finds from the excavation include a small cist covered by a
flat stone which contained a cremation burial and five amber beads. Other
finds reported included part of a bronze spear or arrowhead, a bronze ring,
and a perforated blue opaque glass bead.
[ST53995201] Bowl barrow comprising a mound 18m in diameter and c.3.25m high
at its highest point. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry
ditch surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the years but
survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The mound has an uneven surface,
possibly the result of disturbance caused by B.M.Skinner's partial excavation
in September 1815. Finds reported include later, and one early, cremation
burials located just below the Bronze Age ground surface, set in an oval cist
and covered by a flat stone. A broken ceramic urn was also reported.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

The Ashen Hill linear round barrow cemetery survives comparatively well
despite areas of localised disturbance caused by B.M.Skinner's partial
excavations in 1815. The survival of the barrow mounds and the fills of the
barrow ditches give the cemetery potential for the recovery of archaeological
and environmental evidence relating both to the monument and the landscape in
which it was constructed. The area between the barrow mounds appears to
survive undisturbed and is likely to contain further burials in the form of
flat graves and urnfields as well as evidence for Bronze Age occupation.
The importance of the monument is enhanced by its association with a second
linear round barrow cemetery 300m to the south, as well as its proximity to
the `Priddy Circles' 450m to the north. Numerous other burial monuments of
the same date also survive in the area. Such evidence gives an indication of
the intensity of occupation and the nature of social organisation present in
the area during the Bronze Age period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
'Wells Nat Hist & Antiquarian Society' in Ref Wells Nat Hist & Antiquarian Society (1895), (1895), 7
'Wells Nat Hist & Antiquarian Society' in Ref Wells Nat Hist & Antiquarian Society (1896), (1896), 5
Grinsell, LV, 'Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological & Nat Hist Society' in Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Nat Hist Society, , Vol. Vol 85, (1939), 158-9
Grinsell, L, 'Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural Hist Soc' in Somerset Barrows Part II, , Vol. Vol 115, (1971)
Scarth, , 'Archaeological Journal' in Archaeological Journal, , Vol. Vol 16, (1859), 148-50
Wicks, A T, 'Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological & Nat Hist Society' in Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Nat Hist Society, , Vol. 97, (1952), 185-6
Other
MSS 33648, 143, Skinner, B M, Ref MSS 33648, 143,

Source: Historic England