Monument record CUL 004 - Round Barrow in Dixon's Covert; Culford Park

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Summary

Scheduled Monument - Barrow. Apparently c.50m wide with 2ft ditch surrounding it in 1958.

Location

Grid reference Centred TL 8299 6961 (32m by 35m)
Map sheet TL86NW
Civil Parish CULFORD, ST EDMUNDSBURY, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

Barrow. Lies in forested area and has trees growing on it - next to pathway.
Circa 1926: Excavated by present Earl Cadogan, when he was about 17 years old (circa 1926). Apparently nothing found bar George III penny and some ash. He had the ash analysed and it was said to be modern (S3).
1958: On outskirts of Culford Park, in woodland, there is a very large mound. Mound is perfectly circular, 150 feet in diameter and 11 feet high at its highest point. It is surrounded by a perimeter ditch, now silted up, but still visible on the N & E sides.
Trenching showed the original ditch to have been 6 feet wide x 4 to 6 feet deep. Struck flakes and one or two sherds of C1 pottery were recovered from the filling. Trenching into the mound from the W disclosed an inner construction of decayed turf, which was interrupted near the centre by a very large disturbance some 15 feet across and down to a depth of 12 feet. 'This portion of the mound appeared to have been disturbed twice, once some century or so ago, and once again more recently.' The area was used for testing tanks in 1916-1917, when no doubt some large pit was dug into the apex of the mound, some of the filling being of imported clay, a foreign substance in the area which has a sand subsoil.
One very small sherd of BA pottery was recovered from the disturbed area. The area has now been replanted with young timber (R1)(R2).
1958: Letter from Edwardson, 23.7.1958, map 41, shows sherd from Hill of Health tumulus (CUL 003) - but probably means this site (R3).
1976: Lies in forested area and has trees growing on it. Next to pathway. 2.62m high and 28m diameter (S2).
1981: Unable to locate the barrow, even with the assistance of the Forestry Commission. Letters from Mr Smith, 15.10.81, 2.11.81. No work has been carried out in the area of barrow since 1976. However when Mr Smith visited the area, he could not find the barrow. The area is covered with 20 year old Scots pine. He states that certainly the barrow is not 6 feet high with a 2 feet ditch. The pine cover is to be thinned in the near future and Mr Smith will let us know if the barrow is more evident after this operation (S1).
1991: Pines growing on it, marked at risk as trees growing on it (S4).
Feb 1999: Scheduled area & NGR revised (totally repositioned!)(S1). Formerly located to TL 8365 7129 (HER map amended June 1999).
Note: boundary shown on Tithe Map, diverts in large semi-circle around this new location.
Possibly utilized as landscape feature in Culford Park (would probably have been visible from the Hall) from C18(?) though appears to be S of (& outside) park boundary - for Park see CUL 022.

Sources/Archives (10)

  • <R1> Index: OS. OS Card. OS, card TL86NW5.
  • <M1> Unpublished document: Basil Brown. Basil Brown Archive. Basil Brown archive: volume, map.
  • <S1> Unpublished document: DOE scheduling information.
  • <S2> (No record type): SAU, Martin E A, Barrow Survey.
  • <M2> (No record type): SAM file:.
  • <R2> (No record type): Edwardson A R, 14.8.1958, 4.9.1958.
  • <S3> (No record type): Cadogan Earl, per Green Mrs J, May 1989.
  • <M3> (No record type): Barrow survey:.
  • <R3> Unpublished document: Basil Brown. Basil Brown Archive. Brown B, XCIII, 83 (letters), map 41.
  • <S4> (No record type): Suff Pres Soc (Paul Edwards) survey, table of results, 1991.

Finds (2)

Protected Status/Designation

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (3)

Record last edited

Oct 1 2009 3:57PM

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