Monument record 0091000000 - BEACON HILL

Summary

Late prehistoric round barrow excavated in the nineteenth century and re-used as a beacon and Second World War gun emplacement.

Protected Status/Designation

Archaeological Notification Area: Bronze Age barrow excavated in the 19th century and Roman finds scatter (DBC9143)
Scheduled Monument 1013939: BOWL BARROW ON BEACON HILL, 500M SOUTH OF ELLESBOROUGH CHURCH (DBC7168)

Map

Find a placename, postcode or grid reference

Map layers

Base layers

Info

Record list

Tools

Type and Period (3)

ROUND BARROW? (Late Neolithic to Late Iron Age - 2500 BC to 42 AD)
BEACON? (Medieval to Post-Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1798 AD?)
GUN EMPLACEMENT (Modern - 1939 AD? to 1945 AD?)

Description

Dimensions - Length 600cm, Width 350mcm, Height 91cm.
EXCAVATED BY B BURGESS. FOUND BONE FRAGMENTS, A HORSES TOOTH, A LITTLE CHARCOAL & COARSE BROWN & BLACK POTTERY (B1).
SCRAPED BARROW (B3).
PRESUMED BARROW IS SMALL OBLONG MOUND WITH DITCH [PILLOW MOUND - SEE 0091002000]. SHARP FEATURES PRESUMED DUE TO USE AS A BEACON. EARTHWORK AT END OF HILL [BARROW] USED FOR FLAGSTAFF. ALSO GUN EMPLACEMENT (B8).
Small Bronze Age bowl barrow situated on tip of Beacon Hill. Roughly circular, measuring circa 12m in diameter and up to 0.7m in height. The ground surface falls away sharply on all but the southern side and as there are no signs of an encircling ditch, it is thought to have been constructed using topsoil and chalk. In the centre of the mound is a conical depression, circa 5m wide, believe to be the result of the removal of a flagstaff which stood there from the last century and, perhaps, from its use as a gun emplacement during World War II. Partially excavated in 1855-6. Fragments of Bronze Age pottery with impressed decoration were discovered near the mound in 1973. Scheduled (B9).
MPP field worker also notes scar on side of barrow - left from 1856 excavation? (B10).

Iron age sherds recorded from Beacon Hill, Ellesborough (B15).

Sources (19)

<1>SBC2202 Article in serial: B Burgess. 1855. 'EARTHWORKS AT HAMPDEN & LITTLE KIMBLE', IN RECS OF BUCKS1 PP140,141. Vol 1.
<2>SBC20466 Bibliographic reference: Royal Commision on Historical Monuments. 1912. Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire Volume 1. Volume 1. p142.
<3>SBC4453 Article in serial: James Dyer. 1959. 'BARROWS OF THE CHILTERNS', IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL116 P16. No 116.
<4>SBC976 Unpublished document: BCM ACCESSIONS REGISTER 1961 & 1973.
<5>SBC4785 Bibliographic reference: FARLEY M E & PIKE A R (BCM) MAY 1978 VISIT TO REV C N WHITE.
<6>SBC11627 Verbal communication: PAVRY MR F TO FARLEY M E (BCM) 21 MARCH 1973.
<7>SBC10628 Unpublished document: Ordnance Survey Field Investigator. OS RECORD CARD.
<8>SBC11953 Verbal communication: Andrew Pike (BCM). 1979. PIKE A R (BCM) OCT 1979 FIELD VISIT.
<9>SBC13944 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1995. SCHEDULING LIST OF INSPECTORATE OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS.
<10>SBC19437 Graphic material: Dave Went (EH). 1995. Plan of earthworks on Beacon Hill by MPP Fieldworker.
<11>SBC19439 Graphic material: Went DA. 1995. MPP compass survey of Beacon Hill.
<12>SBC23964 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1996. SCHEDULING LIST OF INSPECTORATE OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS.
<13>SBC27653 Bibliographic reference: Buckinghamshire County Museum. 1960-1963. Buckinghamshire County Museum Report 1960-1963.
<14>SBC27441 Digital archive: Historic England. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE). Insert 1998.
<15>SBC13890 Article in serial: C Saunders. 1971. 'THE PRE BELGIC IRON AGE IN THE CENTRAL & WESTERN CHILTERNS', IN ARCH J 128. Vol 128.
<15>SBC27556 Digital archive: VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION - Bucks County Museum Roman Index.
<16>SBC27536 Digital archive: VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION - Bucks County Museum Record 6".
<17>SBC1824 Article in serial: Keith Branigan. 1967. 'RB RURAL SETTLEMENT IN THE W CHILTERNS', IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL 124 P151. Vol 124.
<18>SBC27450 Bibliographic reference: Eleanor Scott. 1993. A gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain.

Location

Grid reference	SP 83560 06224 (point)
Civil Parish	ELLESBOROUGH, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire