Attitudes to Disposal of the Dead - Gazetteer Query Form

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Note that there may be a few slight discrepancies between counts given in the text and the returned results in the gazetteer. This is a result of corrections and amendments (not updates) made to the gazetteer since the research was published in BAR. This does not materially affect the picture presented but does add more detail.

Site name Cowley 4, Birdlip, Barrow Wake

Site number 1218

Burial codes 1005 1009 1021 1023 1025 1028 1030 1031 1042 1046 1051 1065 1071 1084 1091 1098 1103 1111 1112 1121 1123 1128 1143 1153 1156 1172 1181

100bc-AD43 A group of cist graves possibly under one or several stone cairns. There were three extended inhumations in alignment with heads to N. Each cist was made from thin local limestone slabs, and covered with the same. The graves at each end contained adult males without any grave goods, and the central grave contained a female accompanied by an oval bronze mirror, bronze bowls (one hammered very thin and lathe-turned was set over her face), a fine silver-gilt La Tene III brooch, 4 plain bronze rings, a bronze (?)handle with a horned animal's head as a terminal (the eyes served as sockets for gems or glass), a bronze armlet and a bead necklace of red and yellow amber, with 2 of jet and one of grey marble. This last was reported much later than other finds and has been questioned as of this burial. The mirror was of exceptional beauty, with an engraved back and moulded handle in the best Late Celtic style.

There were bronze bucket plates and a sheet-bronze ring not included by Bellows, and possibly from a fourth interment, the bucket being buried bottom upwards covering the head, to judge from the find position.

The group was dated by Green to the period 50BC-AD47 when there is evidence for Belgic penetration into the Cotswolds. The bronze bowls are dated by Wait to 1st Century AD.

Remains/Period Y1

County Gloucestershire

Region SW

National grid square SO

X coordinate 931

Y coordinate 153

Bibliographic source Bellows 1881, Green 1949b, Spratling 1970a, Harding 1974, Whimster 1981, Staelens 1982, Wait 1985

Query

Site name	Cowley 4, Birdlip, Barrow Wake
Site number	1218
Burial codes	1005 1009 1021 1023 1025 1028 1030 1031 1042 1046 1051 1065 1071 1084 1091 1098 1103 1111 1112 1121 1123 1128 1143 1153 1156 1172 1181
100bc-AD43	A group of cist graves possibly under one or several stone cairns. There were three extended inhumations in alignment with heads to N. Each cist was made from thin local limestone slabs, and covered with the same. The graves at each end contained adult males without any grave goods, and the central grave contained a female accompanied by an oval bronze mirror, bronze bowls (one hammered very thin and lathe-turned was set over her face), a fine silver-gilt La Tene III brooch, 4 plain bronze rings, a bronze (?)handle with a horned animal's head as a terminal (the eyes served as sockets for gems or glass), a bronze armlet and a bead necklace of red and yellow amber, with 2 of jet and one of grey marble. This last was reported much later than other finds and has been questioned as of this burial. The mirror was of exceptional beauty, with an engraved back and moulded handle in the best Late Celtic style. There were bronze bucket plates and a sheet-bronze ring not included by Bellows, and possibly from a fourth interment, the bucket being buried bottom upwards covering the head, to judge from the find position. The group was dated by Green to the period 50BC-AD47 when there is evidence for Belgic penetration into the Cotswolds. The bronze bowls are dated by Wait to 1st Century AD.
Remains/Period	Y1
County	Gloucestershire
Region	SW
National grid square	SO
X coordinate	931
Y coordinate	153
Bibliographic source	Bellows 1881, Green 1949b, Spratling 1970a, Harding 1974, Whimster 1981, Staelens 1982, Wait 1985