| Summary : Waylands Smithy is a chambered Neolithic long barrow. Still extant as a (partly restored) earth and stone structure, the tomb was excavated in 1919-20, and then in 1962-3. The excavations indicated the first phase comprised a small oval earthen barrow (measuring circa 14 metres by 7 metres, aligned north-south) with flanking ditches, an earthen and sarsen mound and a kerb. It contained a mortuary structure consisting of large pits (which held split-trunk posts), paving, and linear cairns of sarsens. The remains of at least 14 human skeletons were present within this structure. Phase two was a long, low trapezoidal barrow mound (circa 55 metres by 14 metres) with sarsen kerb, following the north-south alignment of phase 1 and completely concealing the original barrow. At the southern end was a facade of large sarsens, from which ran a short passage to a roofed sarsen chamber. Human remains were recovered from this area. There is some evidence for deliberate blocking of the chamber, perhaps during the later Neolithic or Early Bronze Age. A single inhumation in a grave to the west of the mound could belong with any phase of activity. Radiocarbon dates suggest the construction, as dated from the primary mortuary deposits, occurred in 3670-3635 cal BC, probably in the middle decades of the thirty-seventh century cal BC. The last interments of this initial use of the chambers probably occurred in 3640-3610 cal BC. The primary mortuary activity probably continued for only 10-30 years. After a hiatus probably lasting for rather more than a century, the infilling of the chambers began in 3620-3240 cal BC and continued into the second half of the third millennium cal BC. Later activity in and around the tomb is attested by Late Bronze Age metalwork, Iron Age and Roman pottery. Field ditches and lynchets, probably of Iron Age or Roman date, are part of a more extensive field system which may have used the tomb as a marker. The site is in the care of English Heritage. |
More information : [SU 28088539] Wayland Smith's Cave [T.I.] BURIAL
CHAMBER [G.T.] (1)
Wayland's Smithy or Wayland Smith's Cave, Ashbury, is a chambered long barrow 185 feet in length and 43 feet wide, orientated NW/SE, the south end containing the burial chambers (2) (4) [see plan fig. 3]
Excavations were carried out by C.R. Peers and R.A. Smith in 1919/20, and remains of eight skeletons were found in the burial chambers. They seem to have been disturbed, perhaps in Neolithic times, some burials possibly being secondary. One such is a skull which "may belong to an intrusive burial after the introduction of metal", and a crouched skeleton, partly destroyed, was found at a depth of only 18", near the middle of the western skirt of the barrow, outside the line of standing stones. No grave furniture was found to date this burial (2).
Further excavations by Piggott and Atkinson in 1963 for the Ministry of Works, records that the large barrow was built over a smaller "unchambered" (5) barrow containing ten skeletons. The second mound is probably not more than a generation later than the first. The remains were probably buried within 100 years either way of 2500 B.C. Pottery confirms the date.
Scheduled (9).
THE NAME The O.S. [authorities 1 and 8] call it Wayland Smith's Cave and authority 5 gives this as an alternative name to Wayland's Smithy. All other authorities listed give the latter name.
Further report on excavations 1962-3 (11). (2-11)
The excavation of "Wayland's Smithy" has been completed. The site is at present being restored by the Ministry of Public Building and Works.
Surveyed at 1/2500
See G.Ps. AO/64/79/4&5. and AO/64/111/2 (c). (12-13)
Landscape feature since at least the 10th century AD. The 1962-3 excavations revealed a two-phase monument. The first phase was a small oval barrow of chalk and sarsen, defined by flanking ditches and an oval kerb. It contains a mortuary structure defined by large pits which held posts of split trunks, a pavement, and opposed linear cairns of sarsen. The second phase consists of a low sarsen-kerbed trapezoidal barrow, with flanking ditches, which follows the N-S alignment of phase I. Extensive field systems were developed in the area in Iron Age and Romano-British period. Wayland's Smithy provides important evidence for the sequence and development of Neolithic mortuary structure and burials (14)
The first phase consisted of an ovoid, entranced enclosure, delimited by sassen stones, with a pitched mortuary house built largely of wood. This is dated to c.3100-2500 and it appears that the site was cleared by burning just before the building of the second phase. (15)
There is a possibility that some of the somes of the phase 2 chambers have been artificially smoothed. (16)
Three leaf flint arrowheads here formed associated with the primary inhumation group. (17)
Wood, from between the two barrow phases, has been dated to 2820 + 130 BC. (18-22)
The long barrow described by the previous authorities was seen as an earthwork and mapped from aerial photographs. (23)
Thirty-one radiocarbon results from the West Kennet long barrow are presented within an interpretive Bayesian statistical framework. In the preferred interpretation, the barrow is seen as a unitary construction (given the lack of dating samples from the old ground surface, ditches or constructional features themselves), with a series of deposits of human remains made in the chambers following construction. Primary deposition in the chambers is followed by further secondary deposition of some human remains, including children, and layers of earth and chalk, the latest identifiable finds in which are Beaker sherds. In the Bayesian model for this sequence, the construction of the monument at West Kennet, as dated from the primary mortuary deposits, occurred in 3670-3635 cal BC, probably in the middle decades of the thirty-seventh century cal BC. The last interments of this initial use of the chambers probably occurred in 3640-3610 cal BC. The difference between these two distributions suggests that this primary mortuary activity probably continued for only 10-30 years. After a hiatus probably lasting for rather more than a century, the infilling of the chambers began in 3620-3240 cal BC and continued into the second half of the third millennium cal BC. Results are discussed in relation to the setting and sequence of the local region. (24)
A brief history and description. (25) |