The Grey Mare and her Colts

The Grey Mare and her Colts is a megalithic chambered long barrow located near Abbotsbury in Dorset, England. It was built during the Early and Middle Neolithic periods (3400-2400 BC). The tomb was partially excavated in the early nineteenth century, and was found to contain human bones and several pottery fragments.

The Grey Mare and her Colts
The Grey Mare and Her Colts Long Barrow.
Shown within Dorset
LocationDorset
Coordinates50.68161°N 2.58946°W / 50.68161; -2.58946
TypeLong barrow
History
Periods3400-2400 BC
Site notes
Official nameThe Grey Mare and her Colts
Designated1922[1]
Reference no.450303[2]
grid reference SY584870

Description

The chambered long barrow is located near the village of Abbotsbury, in Dorset, England. It is situated at the head of a dry valley in the parish of Long Bredy.[2] The monument is part of a group of similar monuments spread across the South Dorset Ridgeway. The remains of another tomb, the Hell Stone, is 2 km to the east; while the Kingston Russell Stone Circle is around 1 km to the northwest. The Grey Mare and her Colts is accessible using an Ordnance Survey map.[1]

The burial monument today is a nearly rectangular mound, 24 m long, 1 m high, and tapering in width from 13 m wide at the southeast end of the tomb to 8 m wide at the northwest end. The remnants of the burial chamber are located at the southeast end of the mound.[3] To the south east end of the mound are four enormous Sarsen stones, three standing and one lying flat. Another horizontal slab behind the tomb is believed to be the capstone of the collapsed burial chamber. There are several small upright stones positioned at the perimeter of the mound. Evidence suggests that these stones are the remnants of the barrow's retaining kerb.[1]

History
The Grey Mare tomb

Long barrowed megalithic tombs are burial monuments built during the Early and Middle Neolithic periods (3400-2400 BC). They can be identified as mounds of stone or earth and typically hold one or more wood or stone-lined burial chambers. They can be up to 90 m long.[4] They represent the burial places of Britain's early farming communities. Over 300 chambered tombs have been recorded in Britain. An excellent example of a chambered long barrow is West Kennet Long Barrow in Wiltshire. The Grey Mare and her Colts burial monument was partially excavated in the early nineteenth century. It was found to contain human bones and several pottery fragments.[1]

Notes
  1. "Chambered tomb called The Grey Mare and her Colts". Historic England. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  2. Historic England. "The Grey Mare and her Colts (450303)". PastScape. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  3. Daniel, Glyn (1950), The Prehistoric Chamber Tombs of England and Wales, page 93. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 110769762X
  4. "The South Dorset Ridgeway Heritage Project" (PDF). Wessex Archaeology. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
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