Historic England research records

Historic England Research Records

Monarch Of The Plain
Hob Uid: 219593
Location : Wiltshire Amesbury, Winterbourne Stoke
Grid Ref : SU1108442758
Summary : The Monarch of the Plain (Amesbury 55) is a very large Bronze Age bell barrow which survives as an earthwork. It comprises a circular mound which sits on a sloping berm, surrounded by a ring ditch. The monument stands 2.8m above the surrounding ground level and measures a maximum of 58m in diameter. Excavation by Colt Hoare (Barrow 40) in the early 19th century found only charred wood. The barrow was listed by Goddard and Grinsell as Amesbury 55. The round barrow was surveyed at 1:1,000 scale by English Heritage in March 2010 as part of the Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project. It has been damaged by burrowing rabbits and early 20th century vehicular activity.
More information : (SU 11084276) Tumulus (AT). (1) SU 11094276, Amesbury 55. A bell barrow with an overall diameter of 162 ft; it has a slightly raised berm (2). Excavations by Colt Hoare (Barrow 40) located charred wood but no interment. (3) An outstanding example of a bell barrow; diameter about 53 metres, maximum height 4.6m, sloping berm. Published 1:2500 survey revised. (4) Originally recorded as Amesbury 55 by Goddard. (5) The barrow falls within the area mapped from aerial photographs by both RCHME's Salisbury Plain Training Area NMP and EH's Stonehenge WHS Mapping Project. It has been included on the survey maps, but is covered by trees, and no further information could be added from aerial photographic evidence. (7) The Monarch of the Plain (Amesbury 55) round barrow was surveyed at 1:1,000 scale by English Heritage in March 2010 as part of the Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project. A very large bell barrow; it measures 58m in diameter and comprises a circular mound atop a sloping berm, surrounded by an incomplete ring ditch. The top of the mound measures 16m in diameter and is 2.8m above the surrounding ground level but only 2m above the top of the berm. The base of the mound has a diameter of 27.5m. The berm is fairly irregular and measures between 35m in diameter from south-west to north-east and 40m from south-east to north-west. Its outer edge rises c 1.2m above the base of the ditch. The ditch measures between 6m and 10m wide and is a maximum of 0.4m below the surrounding ground surface. The round barrow has been damaged by burrowing rabbits and early 20th century vehicular activity. (8-9)

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Source Number : 1
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Source details : OS 6" 1961
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Source Number : 2
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Source details : L Grinsell: Archaeological Gazetteer
Page(s) : 207
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Source Number : 3
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Source Number : 4
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Source details : F1 ANK 05-JAN-71
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Source Number : 5
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Source details : EH Goddard: A list of prehistoric, Roman and pagan Saxon antiquities in the county of Wiltshire...
Page(s) : 169
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Vol(s) : 38, 1913-14

Source Number : 6
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Source details : Record number 554
Page(s) : 187
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Source Number : 7
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Source details : English Heritage: Stonehenge WHS Mapping Project
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Source Number : 8
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Source details : Sharon Bishop/30-JUL-2010/English Heritage: Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project
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Source Number : 9
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Source details : Komar A M & Bishop, S 'Fargo South.' Stonehenge World Heritage Site Landscape Project. Archaeological survey report. RDRS 96-2010. Swindon: English Heritage.
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Vol(s) : 96-2010

Monument Types:

Monument Period Name : Bronze Age
Display Date : Bronze Age
Monument End Date : -700
Monument Start Date : -2600
Monument Type : Bell Barrow
Evidence : Earthwork

Components and Objects:

Related Records from other datasets:

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : WI 65E
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : SMR Number (Wiltshire)
External Cross Reference Number : 741
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : SMR Number (Wiltshire)
External Cross Reference Number : SU14SW741
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (National No.)
External Cross Reference Number : 10336
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : SU 14 SW 57
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :

Related Activities :

Associated Activities :
Activity type : EXCAVATION
Start Date : 1800-01-01
End Date : 1810-12-31

Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1971-01-05
End Date : 1971-01-05

Associated Activities :
Activity type : AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH INTERPRETATION
Start Date : 1994-12-01
End Date : 1995-08-01

Associated Activities :
Activity type : AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH INTERPRETATION
Start Date : 2001-02-01
End Date : 2001-07-01

Associated Activities :
Activity type : MEASURED SURVEY
Start Date : 2008-01-01
End Date : 2013-12-31

Historic England Research Records

Monarch Of The Plain