| Print | More

THE GREY MARE AND HER COLTS

ABOUT THIS MONUMENT

+ / -

EH Visitor Information
Related Monuments
Related Text
Investigation History

More Pictures
Modern Map
Old Map
Aerial Photograph

Monument Types
Sources
Thesaurus
Description

DESCRIPTION

+ / -

The Grey Mare and Her Colts lies at SY 5838 8706 the head of a dry valley which runs down to Gorwell in the valley of the headwaters of the River Bride. The monument is a well preserved example of a chambered long barrow. It comprises a rectangular mound, orientated NW-SE and 24m long. The mound tapers in width from the southeast end (13m) to the northwest end (8m). The mound is highest at the southeast (1m) and drops to 0.4m at the northwest. The southeast end terminates in a row of four massive sarsens, three are upright, one, at the northeast end, is recumbent. A fifth sarsen is now recumbent at the southwest end of the row. The remains of a collapsed chamber lie behind the sarsens on the top of the mound.

DETAIL

+ / -

MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES

+ / -

Tumulus. The Grey Mare and her Colts. (Cromlech)
(NR) (1)

Grey Mare and her Colts. Long Barrow. Neolithic.
(SY 58388706) (2)

The Grey Mare and Colts at Gorwell, is a megalithic chambered
long cairn. The site consists of a cairn, chamber, facade and peristalith. The cairn is of elongated egg form, 75' long overall and 45' wide at the SE and 4' above the surrounding ground at the same
end. There is no sign of any ditches. The chamber, (at the wide
SE end) now consists of upright stones forming three sides of
a rectangular space, with a capstone (7' x 5') originally
covering this, but now slipped sideways obscuring the fourth
side of the chamber. (The front stone stands higher than the
covering). The axis lies NW-SE and the outer SE wall is formed
by a very large slab 61/2" wide, and standing 6' above the
cairn material. The two other stones on the SW & W show only a
foot or so above the ground. It is seven feet long internally.
There are the visible remains of a shallow crescentic forecourt
setting or facade of standing stones (about 5' high, 5' wide)
with its central stone covering the front of the chamber, with
an overall width along the chord of the facade of 35' and with
a depth of arc about seven feet. Only two stones now remain of
the peristalith near the SE end, showing a foot above ground.
The Grey Mare and Colts (with Hell Stone) provides the most
easterly members of the Zennor Group of megalithic culture. (3)

Careful and detailed account with notes and measurements of
each stone. (4)

Long barrow : length 80ft; width 45ft; height 4ft. Orientated
SE/NW. "Neolithic Wessex" No.142. A burial chamber with
possible crescentic forecourt at SE, and traces of peristalith.
Opened early in 19th century; many human bones and some pottery
found (5).

Similar information (6).

Scheduled Ancient Monument (7).

Long Barrow (NR) (The Grey Mare and her Colts). (8)

The ruined chamber is set at the E end of a mound 27.0m long
and with a maximum width of 12.0m. The mound is orientated
WNW-ESE, and has an average height of 1.6m. There are no
visible side ditches. General description in Authy 3 correct,
and the plan shown in Authy 6. The mound has been trampled by
cattle but has not been disturbed by ploughing or other
agricultural operations. (9)

The Grey Mare and Her Colts lies at SY 5838 8706 the head of a dry valley which runs down to Gorwell in the valley of the headwaters of the River Bride. The monument is a well preserved example of a chambered long barrow. It comprises a rectangular mound, orientated NW-SE and 24m long. The mound tapers in width from the southeast end (13m) to the northwest end (8m). The mound is highest at the southeast (1m) and drops to 0.4m at the northwest. The southeast end terminates in a row of four massive sarsens, three are upright, one, at the northeast end, is recumbent. A fifth sarsen, now recumbent at the southwest end of the row, is likely to be that depicted on an 18th-century engraving in Hutchins¿ History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, as upright at the southwest corner of the mound. Behind the sarsen stones, recumbent on the edge of the mound, is a fifth massive sarsen, probably the capstone of the collapsed chamber. The slight scarp to the southeast of the end of the mound is probably the result of ploughing, a process which has presumably obliterated the quarry ditches for the mound. Several stones set into the edge of the mound are probably the remains of a retaining kerb. The ledge at the northwest end of the mound was caused by a hedge, now removed, but depicted on the 18th-century engravingand two hollows on the top of the mound may represent the remains of antiquarian excavations carried out in the early 19th century (authy 5) (10)

The site was surveyed using EDM at a scale of 1: 200 as part of a survey of the long barrows on the South Dorset Ridgeway carried out by English Heritage and the Ridgeway Survey Group (11)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1903

( 2) General reference

OS Ancient Britain Map Index 1951

( 3a) General reference

Antiquity 11 1937 198 (G Daniel)

( 3b) General reference

Proc Prehist Soc 7 1941 1-49 (G Daniel)

( 3c) General reference

Ancient Dorset 1872 126 (C Warne)

( 3d) General reference

The Barrow Diggers 1839 126

( 3) General reference

Proc Dorset Nat Hist & Archaeol Soc 67 1945 30-3 plan (s Piggot)

( 4e) General reference

Gentleman's Magazine 1815 Pt 1 401-404

( 4) General reference

AO 6" OGs Crawford

( 5) General reference

Dorset Barrows Mss 1934-55 (L V Grinsell)

( 5f) General reference

Prehist Chambered Tombs 1950 235 (G Daniel)

( 5g) General reference

Neolithic Cultures of the British Isles 1954 179 227 270 (s Piggott)

( 6) General reference

RCHM Dorset 1 West 1952 42-3 plan

( 7) General reference

Proc Dorset Nat Hist & Archaeol Soc 74 1952 81

( 8) General reference

OS 1" 6th Ed

( 9) Field Investigators Comments

F1 NVQ 28-MAR-55

(10) Field Investigators Comments

Riley, H May 2006 EH Field Investigation

(11) General reference

Riley, H 2008 Long Barrows on the South Dorset Ridgeway. A Survey by English Heritage and the Ridgeway Survey Group. EH Research Department Report.

MONUMENT TYPES

+ / -

COMMENTS

+ / -

Please help us keep our information accurate let us know if you see any errors on this page.

Further information about monuments may be obtained by contacting NMR Enquiry and Research Services , through the English Heritage website.

EH Archives
EH Prints
English Heritage
Heritage Explorer
Heritage Gateway
Images of England
National Heritage List for England
NMR
ViewFinder