Monument record MDO1521 - The Grey Mare and Her Colts, Long Bredy

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.

Grey Mare and her Colts. Long Barrow. Neolithic. (SY 58388706) (2) os 1903

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) pdnahs 9145

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

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). Ms grin

Similar information (6). rchme

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) nvq

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) <> Field Riley

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 <> Riley

Grey Mare and her Colts, a Neolithic long barrow with megalithic chambered tomb. The long mound and megaliths to the south-east side are visible on aerial photographs and were digitally plotted as part of the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project. <4-5>

<1> 1815, The Gentleman's Magazine, 401-4 (Serial). SDO19784.

<2> Wools, C, 1839, The Barrow Diggers. A dialogue in imitation of the Grave Diggers in Hamlet., 126 (Monograph). SWX2974.

<3> Warne, C, 1872, Ancient Dorset (2nd Edition) (Monograph). SWX1971.

<4> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1903 (Map). SWX1540.

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

<5> Crawford, O G S, Annotated record map 6 inch (Map). SWX7265.

<6> Piggott, Stuart, 1946, The Chambered Cairn of the 'Grey Mare and Her Colts'; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO14098.

<6.1> Daniel, Glyn E, 1937, The 'Dolmens' of Southern Britain, Antiquity 11, 183-200 (Article in serial). SDO19783.

<7> Daniel, Glyn E, 1950, The Prehistoric Chamber Tombs of England and Wales, 235 (Monograph). SDO18028.

<8> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 42 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(15) THE GREY MARE AND HER COLTS, megalithic chambered long cairn (315° mag.), over 2¼ m. S.S.E. of the church, comprises the remains of a burial-chamber screened by standing stones, apparently originally arranged on a shallow crescentic plan to form a façade fronting on to a forecourt, set at the wider end of a roughly triangular cairn which has traces of a surrounding peristalith of stones. The cairn is earth-covered and much overgrown (O.S., Neolithic Wessex, No. 142. Dor. N.H. and Arch. S., Proc. LXVII, 30).
The burial-chamber is formed of upright stones on three sides, with a capstone which has slipped sideways and obscures the fourth side. The S.E. or front wall consists of one large slab, 6 ft. 6 in. wide, standing 6 ft. high; the stones of the other two walls are some 4 ft. less in height. The forecourt setting of stones, which appears originally to have formed an arc measuring approximately 35 ft. along the chord and 7 ft. in depth, centres on the tall S.E. stone of the burial-chamber. One stone remains standing immediately to the S.W. of the central stone and set at a shallow obtuse angle to it; ploughing has obliterated all traces of any other stones there may have been further to the S.W. To the N.E. another smaller stone stands beside the central stone, and 5 ft. beyond is a recumbent slab, 4 ft. wide, which probably stood 5 ft.–6 ft. high.
The cairn is now 75 ft. long, 41 ft. wide across the S.E. end, narrowing towards the N.W., and 4 ft. high at the highest point N.W. of the chamber. There are no traces of ditches. The peristalith is represented by two stones only, towards the S.E. end, projecting less than a foot above ground.’

<9> Grinsell, L V, 1935-54, Dorset Barrows 1935-54 Manuscript (Unpublished document). SWX1556.

<10> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 28-MAR-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<11> Papworth, M, 1983, The South Dorset Ridgeway Project: condition and management survey, SDR48 (Index). SDO12304.

‘The ruined chamber is set in the E. end of a mound 27.0m long 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. 1/4/C.’

<12> Riley, H, Field Investigators Comments: Hazel Riley, May 2006 (Unpublished document). SDO17469.

<13> Riley, H, 2008, Long Barrows on the South Dorset Ridgeway. A Survey by English Heritage and the Ridgeway Survey Group (Unpublished document). SDO15192.

<14> Wessex Archaeology, 2011, South Dorset Ridgeway Barrow Survey 2010 (Unpublished document). SDO12407.

<15> 06-DEC-2006, NMR SY 5886/9-10 (24500/01-2) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11669.

<16> 06-DEC-2006, NMR SY 5887/9-16 (NMR 24500/07-14) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11668.

<17> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 882459 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: The Grey Mare & Her Colts, Long Bredy, Dorset. Includes profile

<18> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF00268 (Index). SDO14738.

Long Barrows on the South Dorset Ridgeway, Dorset

<19> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AO55/99/6 (Index). SDO14738.

CHAMBER FROM THE SOUTH

<20> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AO55/99/7 (Index). SDO14738.

VIEW OF CHAMBER AT EAST END OF MOUND

<21> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB71/06884 (Index). SDO14738.

STONES OF THE CHAMBER FROM THE SOUTH

<22> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB86/05023 (Index). SDO14738.

VIEW OF CHAMBER AT EAST END OF MOUND. Donor: UNKNOWNCopyright: UNKNOWN

<23> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F99/6 (Index). SDO14738.

THE GREY MARE AND HER COTTS AT LONG BREDY,LONG BARROW AND CHAMBER FROM THE SOUTH

<24> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS55/F99/7 (Index). SDO14738.

THE GREY MARE AND HER COTTS,STONES OF CHAMBER FROM THE EAST

<25> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450303 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 14 2023 10:53AM