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| Barrow Clump | |
|---|---|
| Name | Barrow Clump |
| Map type | Wiltshire |
| Location | Amesbury, Wiltshire |
| Region | Salisbury Plain |
| Type | Bronze Age barrow cemetery |
| Epoch | Bronze Age, Romano-British |
| Ownership | National Trust |
| Management | Historic England |
Barrow Clump is a multi-period archaeological site comprising a surviving Bronze Age bowl barrow and associated earthworks on Salisbury Plain near Amesbury in Wiltshire, England. The site lies within a landscape rich in prehistoric, Roman and modern features, situated close to Stonehenge, the River Avon (Bristol) valley and the A303 road. It has attracted excavation and conservation attention from institutions such as the National Trust, Historic England and academic teams from universities including University of Oxford and University of Southampton.
The barrow occupies a strategic position on chalk downland within the civil parish of Amesbury, Wiltshire and the unitary authority of Wiltshire Council, overlooking the Vale of Pewsey, the River Bourne (Wiltshire), and approaches to the Salisbury Plain. It forms part of a wider prehistoric landscape that includes Stonehenge, Avebury, the Burren (contrast), and the Normanton Down barrows group, and lies within the Salisbury Plain Training Area used by British Army units. Ownership and stewardship involve the National Trust and protection under scheduling by Historic England and designation within the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site buffer zone.
Archaeological interest in the site has prompted investigations by teams associated with University of Reading, the British Museum, and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge. Excavations in the 20th and 21st centuries have followed methodologies promoted by organizations such as the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Council for British Archaeology, employing stratigraphic excavation, radiocarbon sampling with laboratories like Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, and geophysical survey techniques used by groups including the Geophysical Survey Group (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists). Fieldwork has been overseen by personnel affiliated with English Heritage (predecessor of Historic England), and findings have been reported in outlets such as the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society and journals from University College London.
Excavations revealed primary Bronze Age deposits including cremation burials, funerary pyres and grave goods comparable to assemblages recorded at Bush Barrow, Tinkinswood, West Kennet Long Barrow and Cranborne Chase sites. Recovered artefacts include pottery sherds akin to Beaker culture traditions, copper-alloy objects reflecting connections with metalworking centers known from the Ridgeway and trade networks linking to Brittany and Ireland. Osteological analysis by specialists from the Natural History Museum, London and isotopic studies conducted at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) contributed to interpretations of mobility and diet consistent with Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age communities evident across Wessex and the Thames Valley. Comparative frameworks drew on research into Barrow Hills and the Seven Barrows complex.
Later activity at the site included Romano-British re-use and disturbance, measured through pottery chronologies linking to wares identified at Silchester, Dorchester (Dorset), and Caerleon. Finds such as coarsewares and metalworking debris suggest proximity to itinerant craftspeople and connections to road networks including the Fosse Way and local routes toward Amesbury Abbey and Old Sarum. Evidence for Anglo-Saxon and medieval-period disturbances aligns with patterns documented at sites like Salisbury Cathedral precincts and the Shaftesbury Abbey landscape, while documentary sources from the Domesday Book era and later cartographic records in the Ordnance Survey archive indicate changing land use through the Middle Ages and into the Early Modern period.
Conservation of the barrow has been coordinated by custodians including the National Trust and statutory agencies such as Historic England under scheduling legislation derived from the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Management practices integrate measures recommended by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and landscape-scale policies promoted by the Salisbury Plain Conservation Board and Natural England. Protective actions have addressed threats from erosion related to military training by British Army units and agricultural pressures regulated by Ministry of Defence agreements and stewardship schemes administered through the Rural Payments Agency.
Public access is facilitated via permissive paths and interpretation provided by the National Trust and local information from Amesbury Museum. Outreach programs have involved collaborations with educational institutions such as University of Winchester and community archaeology initiatives supported by the Council for British Archaeology and volunteer groups linked to the Wessex Archaeology charity. The site features in regional heritage trails promoted by VisitWiltshire and educational resources aligned with curricula from the Department for Education and teacher training at institutions like the Institute of Archaeology, UCL.
Category:Archaeological sites in Wiltshire Category:Bronze Age sites in England Category:National Trust properties in Wiltshire