A Bronze Age Burial and Barrow on Beacon Hill, Mendip: Excavations and Analysis 2007–8

A BRONZE AGE BURIAL AND BARROW ON BEACON HILL, MENDIP: EXCAVATIONS AND ANALYSIS 2007–8 PETER LEACH with contributions by C. Barnett, G. Cook, L. Mepham, J.I. McKinley, E. Simmons, C. Stevens, and W. Woodland INTRODUCTION resistant conglomerate, being at its steepest below the summit of the hill. Beacon Hill Wood, a high point at the eastern end The modern wood covers c. 15.5ha, comprising of the Mendip Hills around NGR ST 638460, lies a mixture of semi-mature plantation trees at the junction of the modern parishes of Ashwick, dominated by beech, with some pine and other Doulting and Stoke St Michael, c. 2km north of scattered deciduous species. It owes much Shepton Mallet (fig. 1). With its highest point at of its character to ownership by the Forestry c. 295m OD the hill commands extensive views Commission, from whom it was acquired by north and south. In contrast with most other parts Mendip District Council and subsequently the of Mendip, Beacon Hill is formed principally of Woodland Trust, its current owner, in 1995. As Devonian Old Red Sandstone rocks (Portishead part of a more sympathetic management regime Beds) that include marl and quartz conglomerate by the Trust most areas have been thinned of beds among the sandstone formations. These trees and areas of more natural vegetation cover rocks outcrop along the eroded top of an ancient encouraged. Long recognised as an ancient burial anticline fold, exposed further west on Pen Hill site by its prehistoric round barrows, ownership by and especially Blackdown. Also exposed within the Trust also prompted a comprehensive survey the core of the anticline east from Beacon Hill of all surface features preserved extensively are older Silurian volcanic rocks – Andesite lava through the wood (Corney 2003). and tuff – still quarried at Moons Hill, Stoke This led to a further programme of archaeological St Michael. Younger Carboniferous shale and investigations, principally by trench excavation limestone occupy lower ground to the north and sampling, through the auspices of The Beacon Hill south, though partly masked by drift deposits. Society, with the emphasis upon voluntary local This geology has resulted in poorly drained acidic community and other amenity group involvement. soils prone to gleying and iron pan formation. Opportunities were taken to investigate ancient The poor soil profile and drainage is reflected in stone quarry sites, remains of the Roman Fosse numerous small springs along the foot of the steep Way road, and other Roman structures (see www. escarpment to the south, and some waterlogging beaconhillsocietymendip.org.uk; Bagwell and even in higher parts of the wood. The escarpment Webster 2006; 2007; 2008; and 2009). Excavation itself is evidently formed by the outcrop of more of one of the suspected prehistoric round barrows 18 SSomersetomerset AArchrch SSococ --No.No. 1156.indb56.indb 1818 009/08/20139/08/2013 110:03:230:03:23 9195 SANHS PROCEEDINGS VOL 156 AUG 13 A BRONZE AGE BURIAL AND BARROW ON BEACON HILL, MENDIP Fig. 1 Beacon Hill Wood, location map, excavation sites and principal features; for details of excavation trenches 1—3, 5, A and B see Leach 2011 is the subject of this report. A section through the some have been all but obliterated by successive barrow yielded a Middle Bronze Age cremation forestry and antiquarian activity, while four lie burial and well preserved palaeoenvironmental within open pasture west of the wood (Grinsell remains relating to that period which cast new 1971). Several of the more prominent mounds light on the vegetational history of Beacon Hill are protected as Scheduled Ancient Monuments and its environment. The project fulfilled its and further details of the group and individual objectives in providing management information, barrows are to be found in the County Council’s opportunities for local participation, education, HER, and in an unpublished desktop survey by and a notable enhancement in knowledge and Ian Powlesland (1997). appreciation of the wood. A prominent group of burial mounds such as these probably attracted the attention of treasure seekers, but the earliest recorded antiquarian HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL interest was that of the Revd John Skinner of BACKGROUND Camerton, whose visits and excavations into several barrows are recorded in his diaries. From The earliest evidence of human activity on these it is evident that he found several cremation Beacon Hill is the development of a cemetery burials, some within urns and others unurned, of prehistoric round barrows along the crest of and the site of at least one funeral pyre. He also the hill. Their form, and discoveries by earlier recorded two urned cremations placed within antiquarians, suggest Early and Middle Bronze small capped sandstone cists, one accompanied dates for construction and use, between c. 2100 by a bronze razor. Regrettably, none of Skinner’s and 1500 BC. Up to 14 mounds can be identified excavated finds appear to have survived, but – the majority preserved within the wood, though thanks to his sketches we can identify some of 19 SSomersetomerset AArchrch SSococ --No.No. 1156.indb56.indb 1919 009/08/20139/08/2013 110:03:230:03:23 9195 SANHS PROCEEDINGS VOL 156 AUG 13 SOMERSET ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2012 Fig. 2 Barrow excavation, plan and sections the pottery as Collared Urns of Early Bronze Age EXCAVATION types and can associate the razor with a similar date. In 1840 another group of urns was recovered The principal focus of interest in 2007–8 was a low from a barrow in the field west of the wood by the circular mound (F402) up to 1m high and 17–18m farmer, Mr Rugg. One of these, a Collared Urn, diameter, close to the western boundary of the eventually found its way to Birmingham City wood. This mound is identified as a round barrow Museum (Longworth 1984, 147) – unless this (HER PRN 23062; Ashwick 5, Grinsell 1971), was one of the vessels found by Skinner. No other and lies at the eastern end of the western group investigations or discoveries are recorded until of barrows, most of which lie within open pasture the mid-20th century, when much of Beacon Hill west of the wood (ST 6365 4605). Excavation of Wood was replanted by the Forestry Commission. the barrow commenced in 2007 with the opening In some areas this was preceded by deep ploughing of a trench, Trench 4, 18m x 2m from the centre to facilitate tree planting, a process resulting in of the mound that extended down to the south, further disturbance and destruction of burial well beyond its lower edge (4A). Work continued mounds and their contents, although the larger in 2008 with the extension of Trench 4(B) over barrows were deliberately spared. Some attempt 11m northwards to encompass the full diameter to excavate and salvage material in response of the mound (fig. 2). The earliest level exposed to this was made by a local schoolmaster, Max was a pale pink/buff-grey silty sand with some Unwin from Shepton Mallet. Cremation burials grit and small stone fragments (4006/4011), lying and both Early and Middle Bronze Age pottery at around 285.6m OD to the north and sloping to were evidently encountered, but once again the less than 284.0m OD southwards. At one point records are scanty and most of the finds can no this was sampled to a depth of c. 0.15m, merging longer be traced. into soft buff-red sandstone, and is identified as minerogenic subsoil. It was found to be semi- waterlogged at the time of excavation in both 20 SSomersetomerset AArchrch SSococ --No.No. 1156.indb56.indb 2020 009/08/20139/08/2013 110:03:250:03:25 9195 SANHS PROCEEDINGS VOL 156 AUG 13 A BRONZE AGE BURIAL AND BARROW ON BEACON HILL, MENDIP Fig. 3 Turf formation: southern barrow excavation trench, east side (photo P. Leach) seasons. Approximately 3m from the north end anaerobic environments, and here as the remains of the trench the subsoil surface was sealed by of a turf-built barrow mound (F402). The lower a thin layer of grey-black, organic-rich sandy horizon of this deposit was distinct above the soil (4004/4010), rarely more than 0.05m thick dark underlying buried organic soil layer, but less and thinning out 20m to the south. This was so above, where it merged into a more disturbed interrupted at the change of trench alignment by brown humic soil (4001) containing much leaf a partly exposed, shallow steep-sided cut into the litter, plant and tree roots. Above the lower sloping subsoil (F403), containing similar organic soil sides of the turf mound and spreading 1m or more (4012). Only an area of 1m x 1.5m of this possibly beyond its edge were lenses of cleaner grey-buff rectangular feature was seen on the west side of silty sand with some gravel, 4007 to the south and the trench, whose semi-waterlogged fills were not 4009 to the north, representing some weathering fully excavated. or more deliberate spread outwards of material Sealing this feature and the surrounding from its upper part. The mound and its capping organic soil layer was a mound of very mixed buff- layers still stands some 1m high above the surface pink and grey-black sand and gravel with light of the wood, though evidently having suffered a scatters of sandstone fragments and occasional degree of truncation in the past, in addition to the larger blocks (4003/4008). Tapering out to the mid 20th-century forestry plough grooves that north and south, this banked deposit survived penetrate 0.2m or more into its upper levels, and to a maximum of just over 1m thickness near its further disturbance from animal burrowing.

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