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Summary

The burial cairn is shown on historic mapping. It has previously been suggested erroneously to be located 80 metres to the north.

Monument Type(s):

• ROUND CAIRN (Late Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC (Unclassified))

Description

SS 9717 4016. Dunster 1. Round barrow on Croydon Hill at Bat's Castle,visited by Grinsell 8th June 1969 when under heath. It is apparently a modern stone heap 11 paces diameter, 3 feet high, but may be on the site of a sepulchral cairn. A mound is shown here on the one inch First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1809. It is on or near the Luxborough Boundary.
(A cairn and human remains were found 'hereabouts Bats Castle' before 1840. See MSO9091 - Identified with Bat's Castle in Dunster Park (MSO9082), but ?possibly from this site.) [1-3]

The remains of a substantial Bronze Age burial cairn lie on the summit of Croyden Hill at SS 9720 4007. The monument comprises a circular stony mound 14.8 metres in diameter. The centre of the mound has been disturbed and a shelter 4.3 by 3.5 metres with an entrance to the north has been constructed from mound material. Much of the northern sector has been quarried away, and the surrounding area shows evidence of stone extraction in the form of pits. The cairn lies in an area of dense coniferous plantation. [4]

The cairn is clearly marked on the 25 inch 1st Edition map [5], and is just to the south of the parish boundary, on the summit of Croydon Hill. The grid reference given by Grinsell [1] refers to the area of stone extraction some 80 metres to the north (MSO12280) which, unlike the cairn, is marked on the six inch First Edition map [6]. [7]

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1809, 1" 1st edition (Map). SSO1424.

<2> Grinsell, L V, 1969, Somerset Barrows: part 1, 30 (Article in serial). SSO1223.

<3> Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1986, card SS94SE, 44 (Unassigned). SSO1646.

<4> Riley, H., Field Investigators Comments, RCHME Field Investigation, 1998 (Unpublished document). SMO7322.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1868-1901, County Series; 1st Edition 25 Inch Map, 1889, Somerset 47(5) (Map). SEM6703.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1868-1896, County Series, First Edition 6 Inch Map, 1889, Somerset 47NW (Map). SEM6705.

<7> English Heritage, National Monuments Record / AMIE / Monarch entry - viewable via Pastscape, Reference 36947 (Archive). SEM7987.

Sources and Further Reading

Related records

Other References

• Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MSO9434
• Local List Status (Unassessed)
• National Monuments Record reference: SS 94 SE44
• National Park: Exmoor National Park
• Pastscape HOBID (was Monarch UID): 36947
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)
• Somerset SMR PRN: 13465

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