Monument record MDO8692 - Round Barrow, Crouch Hill, Christchurch

The site of a round barrow known as Crouch Hill, located on Stanpit Marsh, was excavated by Harold St George Gray in 1921-22. In 1969 further excavation was undertaken by M Ridley. At the time of Grays excavation, the mound was 48 metres in diameter and 1.6 metres high. No ditch was encountered in either excavation. The mound largely comprised sand, clay and turf, but had suffered severely from rabbit burrows. Because of the amount of 19th century material recovered, Gray was convinced that the mound was of modern origin, despite the quantity of prehistoric material also present within and beneath the mound. Ridleys 1969 excavation was never published, but an account of his work and a description of the finds from his and Grays trenches was published by Cunliffe et al (1987). Gray had believed much of the pottery he found to be Bronze Age urn sherds, and although some were indeed Early Bronze Age, most were of Grooved Ware. Many of the sherds appeared as discrete deposits, some associated with flint implements. The pottery also appeared to have been deposited as sherds rather than complete vessels. A large burnt patch encountered by Gray comprised blackened sand and charcoal, with further sherds mixed in. Some small fragments of burnt material may have been bone, but Gray was unsure about their identification. The 1969 excavation recovered further flints and Grooved Ware, and an almost complete inverted collared urn containing the cremated remains of a child. Large quantities of burnt flint were also found. Field-walking in 1984 across the site recovered large quantities of burnt flint, struck flakes and scrapers from the surface of the mound. Ridley also referred to the discovery of an amber bead and artefacts of Mesolithic to Bronze Age date. The barrow is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of 1947 on Crouch Hill.

Bronze Age urn fragments, found by H St G Gray 1921. Now in Taunton Museum. <2>

Site excavated in autumn of 1921 by H. St. G. Gray (No report of excavation, or ref. to same is given). <3>

No details have ever been given, and no report published. Finds are packed away in Taunton Museum. <4>

SZ 16959185. Excavation of an eroded area of the 160ft. diameter mound, partially dug in 1921, produced more Bronze Age pottery and an inverted collared urn containing the cremation of a child. An amber bead was also found; other material consisted of a large number of flint flakes and artefacts of Mesolithic to Bronze Age date. <5>

'The site of a round barrow known as Crouch Hill, located on Stanpit Marsh, was excavated by Harold St George Gray in 1921-22. In 1969 further excavation was undertaken by M Ridley. At the time of Gray's excavation, the mound was 48 metres in diameter and 1.6 metres high. No ditch was encountered in either excavation. The mound largely comprised sand, clay and turf, but had suffered severely from rabbit burrows. Because of the amount of 19th century material recovered, Gray was convinced that the mound was of modern origin, despite the quantity of prehistoric material also present within and beneath the mound. Ridley's 1969 excavation was never published, but an account of his work and a description of the finds from his and Gray's trenches was published by Cunliffe et al (1987). Gray had believed much of the pottery he found to be Bronze Age urn sherds, and although some were indeed Early Bronze Age, most were of Grooved Ware. Many of the sherds appeared as discrete deposits, some associated with flint implements. The pottery also appeared to have been deposited as sherds rather than complete vessels. A large burnt patch encountered by Gray comprised blackened sand and charcoal, with further sherds mixed in. Some small fragments of burnt material may have been bone, but Gray was unsure about their identification.

The 1969 excavation recovered further flints and Grooved Ware, and an almost complete inverted collared urn containing the cremated remains of a child. Large quantities of burnt flint were also found. Field-walking in 1984 across the site recovered large quantities of burnt flint, struck flakes and scrapers from the surface of the mound. Ridley also referred to the discovery of an amber bead and artefacts of Mesolithic to Bronze Age date.' <6>

The site appears to have been the focus for some kind of late neolithic activity prior to a mound being constructed and an urned cremation inserted during the early Bronze Age. <6>

The Bronze Age barrow is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of 1947 <7>. The barrow is formed of a sub-circular mound measuring 18 m in diameter. The site is not visible on the most recent comprehensive aerial imagery available to the project. <8> This site was digitally plotted during the South West rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset).

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1931-38 (Map). SWX1540.

Ancient Pottery fragments found AD 1921 (NAT)

<2> Calkin, J B, 1949, Annotated Record Map Corr. 6 (J B Calkin 1949) (Map). SWX2587.

<3> Gray, H ST George, 1925, Excavation of a Mound at Christchurch, Hants., p320-3 (Article in serial). SWX4035.

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 14-JUL-54 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<4.1> Calkin, J B, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments: J B Calkin (Verbal communication). SWX4520.

<5> Ridley, M, 1969, Council for British Archaeology : Group 12 (Wessex) and Group 13 (South West) : Archaeological review, p26 (Article in serial). SWX3476.

<6> Cunliffe, B, 1987, Hengistbury Head, Dorset. 1: The Prehistoric and Roman Settlement, 3500BC- AD500, Excavations at Crouch Hill, 1921, 1969. in Oxford University Committee for Archaeology monograph series Vol no.13 Page(s) 40-7 (Monograph). SWX4038.

<7> Royal Air Force, 05-SEP-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2289 PART II 5117-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12716.

<8> XX-XXX-2009, Google Earth (Aerial Photograph). SDO12705.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 458662 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 8 2023 7:33PM