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Site name Worth Matravers 3, St Aldhelm's Head
Site number 1690
Burial codes 4005 4009 4021 4023 4025 4028 4030 4035 4036 4042 4044 4047 4051 4052 4053 4065 4071 4073 4074 4084 4093 4094 4102 4104 4111 4121 4128 4129 4143 4151 4152 4153 4156 4181
2500bc-14/1300bc A bowl barrow with a stone platform set 0.9m into the old ground surface and projecting 0.3m above that level, in all 1.2m thick. On this were laid several inhumations, related to a setting of two large stone slabs on edge running SSE from the centre of the barrow for 2m which appear to have been the spine of a stone cist arrangement.

Inhumation No 1 was on the east side of the partition and close to it, head to SSE. Over the feet of this deposit (and hence secondary) were a quantity of bones and 4 skulls (Nos 2-5) accompanied by a plain bone pin c8cm long, all enclosed by a small cist of slanting flat stones set edgeways over them covering an area c0.6m in diameter.

No 6 was a skeleton at right angles to No 1, and laid head to WSW, the head being in the east angle of another stone slab set at right angles [presumably from the subsequent description to form a T] at the north end of the main 2-slab setting ['the stone nearest the centre' Warne 58]. It was protected by large stones. In the west angle of the T, and parallel with and on the opposite side of the partition wall, head to NNW, was a female without a skull, accompanied by a small pierced green glass bead, and on the breast a small urn on its side, plain except for a row of projecting knobs a little below the rim. Stones also were packed over this deposit.

No 7 was an inhumation at right angles to No 6, head to N, on its side.

The whole set of deposits was covered by a stratum of clean stone c15cm thick, over which was earth and stone with many sherds, and shale fragments including part of an armlet. There were also many limpet shells and other land shells in the upper part of the mound.
Remains/Period Y4
County Dorset
Region S
National grid square SY
X coordinate 963
Y coordinate 760
Bibliographic source Warne 1866, Grinsell 1959


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Last updated: Tues Aug 10 2004