Bronze Age Round Barrow in Hartshill

Description of this historic site

The site of a round barrow, an artificial mound built to cover a burial. It dates from the Bronze Age and contained two cremation burials and a later A-S burial (MWA6001). It is on the W side of Harthill Hayes Country Park and survives as an earthwork.

Notes about this historic site

1 In 1835 Mr Hawkes of Birmingham and Bloxam excavated a round barrow near Oldbury. The barrow, before excavation, was of bowl-shaped form, about 3.9m high and 23m in diameter at the base. The sides were covered with undergrowth. A hole was opened in the E side and about 0.65m down an Anglo Saxon burial was disturbed (PRN 6001). The excavation was continued towards the centre of the barrow and traces of a cairn of large stones became apparent. 1.9 to 2m below the top of the barrow were 2 urns placed rim downwards in a cairn of loose stones. These urns were accompanied by 2 smaller urns and nearby a small bronze dagger. Also at this level were 2 small flint chippings. About 2.6m from the surface a third urn was found deposited like the others in a cist of stones and inverted over burnt bones. Nearby was another small urn inclined downwards. The natural soil was reached about 3.3m from the top of the mound.
2 Three of the urns are illustrated.
3 The barrow is 2.1m high, heavily overgrown, and without trace of a ditch. A deep excavation hollow in the centre reveals the cairn-like core of loose granite. The finds are in Warwick Museum.
4 SAM List. Originally Scheduled as Warwickshire Monument No 38.
5 Noted in TBAS as above (REF 1)
6 Field survey form. In 1987 the mound was covered in trees and vegetation, except for on the very top, where there is a hole. The mound is now considerably smaller than it was in 1835.
7 Revised SAM number 21623, August 1996. Earth mound still stands to height of 2.1m and apx 20m diameter. Ditch not visible at ground level, but survives as buried feature aprox 3m wide.
8 Brief field survey by RCHME in 1997 recommended more detailed survey be carried out.
9 Shown on plan
10 Archival material relating to the initial 19th century excavation.
11 Archival material associated with 10.
12 Early schedling record.

More from Hartshill
More from Barrow
More from Earthworks
More from Round Barrow