Monument record 15367 - Bronze Age Barrow and Burials, East of Hulme Barns Farm, Bucklow Hill

<1> Wessex Archaeology, 2017, A556 Knutsford to Bowdon Improvement, Cheshire: Archaeological Strip Map and Excavation & Post Excavation Assessment, R3920 (Client Report). SCH8111.

The levelled remains of an early Bronze Age barrow, comprising a penannular ditch (feature 1111) and a series of cremation burials, was recorded during an archaeological strip, map and excavation undertaken in 2014-15. This work formed part of a programme of archaeological investigations along the course of the proposed A556 Knutsford to Bowdon relief road. The ring ditch was situated on the southern brink of the ridge that traversed the Site, overlooking lower ground to the south, but with a clear line of sight to the Pennine uplands to the north and east.

Ring ditch 1111 was not a complete circle, a very narrow interruption (0.25m wide) lay in its north-east quadrant. The ditch terminals were reasonably well-defined, suggesting that the gap was an original feature. The outer edge of the ring ditch measured around 26 m in diameter, with the area enclosed by the ditch generally measuring 21–23 m in diameter. Where excavated, the ditch was between 1.23 m and 3.04 m wide; its depth varied between 0.11 m and 0.8 m. In the absence of readily datable artefacts from the fill of the ditch, two samples were submitted for radiocarbon testing. Charred alder from the basal fill produced a date of 1880-1610 cal BC and a piece of charred oak sapwood from a charcoal cluster in the uppermost fill was dated to 1870-1520 cal BC. The construction of the ditch therefore appears to have occurred towards the end of the Early Bronze Age, with its infilling likely occurring over 0-185 years. Potentially significantly, no burnt bone was recovered from the fills of ring ditch 1111, suggesting that it had become backfilled before such material was being deposited. A series of pollen samples taken from the ring ditch fill sequence indicate a predominantly open landscape in the vicinity of the feature in the past, with some evidence for arable and pastoral activity.

Concentrations of burnt human bone were recovered from approximately 34 locations within the area enclosed by ring ditch 1111 or in its immediate vicinity. The material comprises an urned burial, a probable second urned burial, several unurned burials, plus quantities of redeposited pyre debris. Some of the latter deposits probably represent the results of plough damage to in situ cremation burials. Of the two urned burials, one was located 2.1 m outside the ring ditch. The grave contained a centrally placed, upright, undecorated pottery urn in a coarse rock-tempered fabric, SF1, surviving to a height of 0.24m, with the upper portion of the pot having been plough-truncated. The urn contained 952g of cremated human bone from a possible male aged 23-35 years. A fragment of bone gave a radiocarbon date of 1670–1490 cal BC, the transition between the Early and Middle Bronze Age. A small broken flint blade segment was recovered from the backfill of the burial. A second potential urned burial, severly plough-truncated, was recorded in the centre of the ring ditch, possibly representing the remains of the primary burial. The grave contained just 1.8g of cremated bone from an infant (0–5 years of age at death). A rim sherd and seven body sherds from an Early/Middle Bronze Age Food Vessel were recovered from the grave fill.

Additionally, a group of 12 probable inhumation graves were focussed on the ring ditch (see CHER 15372). Also, a second cluster of cremation-related deposits was located 90 m to the east of the ring ditch (see CHER 15369). They were focused on a 30m diameter area and, although no physical remains of a barrow were recorded, it is thought one originally existed but had been plough-levelled.

The cremated bone remains collected from ring ditch 1111 and from the cluster of remains to the east (CHER 15369) represent a minimum of 15, more probably 21 individuals, including two infants, one juvenile/subadult and at least 10, more probably 15 adults. Where closer age ranges could be attributed the majority fell within the young–mature ranges, with none conclusively identified as >45 years of age. A probable sex was attributed to only nine - four females and five males.

<2> Patrick Daniel, 2021, “What are the dead for?” Bronze Age burials in a multi-period landscape at Bucklow Hill, Cheshire, Archaeological Journal, 2021, p.1-82 (Article in Journal). SCH9099.

Article discussing the excavated remains at Bucklow Hill and the programme of radiocarbon dating which has resulted in the first high-resolution radiocarbon chronology for a prehistoric funerary site in the county. Given the paucity of excavation at such sites in Cheshire in recent decades, the opportunity to examine and date this site is regionally important. The time-depth of the exposed landscape is also significant, with indications of a human presence prior to the Bronze Age and more plentiful evidence for subsequent periods. Probable early medieval inhumations were focused upon the earlier burial sites, and these together with the remains of agriculture and iron smithing represent regionally rare glimpses of the early medieval period. They show the continued importance of this part of the landscape to local people and highlight the ‘connective’ role of funerary monuments in allowing such inter-relationships between different communities across time.