Monument record MDR3250 - Round Barrow, Carsington Pasture, Carsington
Type and Period (2)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
Large barrow next to a linear bank and ditched enclosure. Dimensions: diameter 14 m, height 0.5 m. (1)
The barrow was plundered by a known local metal detectorist. A trench approximately 7m by 1m was cut into the centre of the monument. (2)
The barrow is >20m in diameter, round topped, and stands >1m high at c. SK244542, very close to a line of lead mining shafts. The trench cut by the metal detectorist was backfilled but is visible. There is a second possible square trench (1m) on the southwest side. The majority of the barrow is intact and should be scheduled. (3)
Investigations as part of Time Team emptied the backfill of the 1983 trenches, establishing that there had been two 'cuts' - the main one (which may have missed the centre of the mound) and another at right-angles comprised of three 1m pits separated by narrow 'baulks'. The barrow is made of earth with no sign of a rubble phase. Human bone and two flint flakes were found in the backfill, and other bone fragments were identified 'in situ' towards the base of the trench. The barrow appeared to come down onto natural limestone. A secondary insertion was found in the southern half, containing a very large bi-conical urn with cremated bone. (4)
Scheduled. (5)
Excavations were undertaken as part of the Channel 4 Time Team television series at a Bronze Age round barrow at Carsington Pasture. The mound had been trenched in an unauthorised excavation in the 1980s, for which there were no surviving records. The area of the illicit trench was re-excavated and extended to provide a complete section through the mound. This indicated that the barrow was an earthen bowl barrow that had been constructed over a primary phase turf ring. Human bones were present in the backfill of the previous excavation, suggesting that a probable primary inhumation had been disturbed at the time. A secondary undisturbed Bronze Age cremation burial, dated by radiocarbon to c. 1,700-1,500 BC and containing the remains of an adult male, was found below an inverted Biconical Urn near the crest of the mound in the south-west quadrant. Broken bone tweezers were found in the redeposited pyre debris around the urn. The barrow subsequently became incorporated in a field system, which can be traced across Carsington Pasture and which is thought to be of post-Roman date. The mound had later become subsumed within the upcast of adjacent post-medieval lead workings. (6)
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SDR9644 Index: North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust (NDAT). North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust Index: 0573. 0573.
- <2> SDR12706 Personal Observation: Wildgoose, M. Personal observation, email communication etc.. August 2 1983.
- <3> SDR18762 Unpublished document: Guilbert, G. 1994. Archaeological Reconnaisance on Carsington Pasture.
- <4> SDR18773 Personal Observation: 2002. Site Visit: 7/6/2002. A. Myers.
- <5> SDR19067 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 2003. Bowl Barrow on Carsington Pasture, 800m south east of Brassington Brickworks. 35606. Cat. No. 531.
- <6> SDR19627 Article in serial: Harding, P, Beswick P, McKinley, J I, Gale, R & Firman, R. 2005. 'Excavations at a Bronze Age barrow on Carsington Pasture by Time Team 2002', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Vol 125, pp 1-20, figs. 1-4.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 244 542 (24m by 24m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | CARSINGTON, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR1852
- EDR3950
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Sep 19 2016 11:44AM