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<< Our Photo Pages >> Merlin's Mount - Artificial Mound in England in Wiltshire

Submitted by baz on Sunday, 19 February 2017  Page Views: 39160

Multi-periodSite Name: Merlin's Mount Alternative Name: Merlin's Mound, Marlborough Mound, Marlborough College Mound; Merlin's Barrow (Marlborough)
Country: England County: Wiltshire Type: Artificial Mound
Nearest Town: Marlborough
Map Ref: SU18366865  Landranger Map Number: 173
Latitude: 51.416573N  Longitude: 1.737374W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 4 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 2 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 5

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I have visited· I would like to visit

XIII saw from a distance on 13th Aug 2015 - their rating: Amb: 3 Access: 5

JohnLindsay visited on 31st Mar 2012 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 2 Access: 4 There was a charity day at Marlborough College so the grounds were open and walkable. I think the access button needs something about public private rather than simply how to get there. There is a research project going on, and I found Marlborough Mound producing a web site with some documentation. At the moment the base of the mound is blocked off, so I don't think it is walkable up, but perhaps there is some sort of access plan. It seems clear now that it is neolithinc, whatever that means in marlborough college. My Murray has a reference to a museum in the college with stuff. I should have added that there is a wonderful walk on the other side of the Kennet from which you can see the gardens of the college, and perhaps, in winter, you might see the mound? so the mound is placed near the Kennet. A little further on is the church of .. now don't have my Pevsner or Murray with me, so leave out the place name for now, but church on river nearly by OS Explorer scale.

SolarMegalith visited on 12th Mar 2011 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 2 Access: 4

graemefield saw from a distance on 1st Jan 2010 - their rating: Cond: 3



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.67 Ambience: 2.33 Access: 4.33

Merlin's Mount
Merlin's Mount submitted by baz : Merlin`s Mount, Marlborough (Grid Ref. SU 18363 68674). This artificial mound stands in the private grounds of Marlborough College and is thought to be a smaller sister to Silbury Hill which lies just five miles to the west. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Artificial Mound in Wiltshire. This artificial mound stands in the private grounds of Marlborough College. It was the motte on which the keep of Marlborough Castle was built fifty years after the Norman Conquest and it subsequently became the centrepiece of a major seventeenth century garden.

Dating has confirmed it was originally built in the years around 2400 BC as a smaller sister to Silbury Hill which lies just five miles to the west. (Grid Ref. SU 18363 68674).

The Northern Antiquarian (TNA) also features a page for the mound - see their entry for Merlin’s Mount, Marlborough, Wiltshire, which gives directions for finding this site, together with a photograph, an of image and quotations from several references.

For more information also see Pastscape Monument No. 220514, and for scheduling information visit Historic England List ID 1005634.

Note: Marlborough College have made a 35 minute documentary telling the story of Marlborough Mound and how it's Neolithic origin was discovered
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Merlin's Mount
Merlin's Mount submitted by SolarMegalith : View from the SE with visible 17th-18th century grotto (photo taken on March 2011). (2 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Merlin's Mount
Merlin's Mount submitted by SolarMegalith : It's unclear if the monument is a medieval motte castle or a Neolithic artificial mound. View from the SE (photo taken on March 2011). (2 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Merlin's Mount
Merlin's Mount submitted by SolarMegalith : View from the NW (photo taken on March 2011). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Merlin's Mount
Merlin's Mount submitted by Postman : Squeezing a photo in from the roadside. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Merlin's Mount
Merlin's Mount submitted by SolarMegalith : View for one of the terraces of Merlin's Mount. Excavations in 2000 revealed traces of a ditch near the mound, possibly defence of a bailey, which would support theory of mound's medieval, not Neolithic origin (photo taken on March 2011).

Merlin's Mount
Merlin's Mount submitted by SolarMegalith : Top part of the mound with modern depression in the middle (photo taken on March 2011).

Merlin's Mount
Merlin's Mount submitted by SolarMegalith : Upper part of the artificial mound - view from the NE (photo taken on March 2011).

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 4.6km NNW 335° Rockley Plantation Barrows* Barrow Cemetery (SU1643372778)
 4.7km SW 236° West Woods Sarsen Stones* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SU145660)
 4.7km S 189° Martinshill Fort* Hillfort (SU1767563970)
 4.7km WSW 257° West Overton Bowl Barrow Round Barrow(s) (SU13736758)
 4.8km NW 304° Long Tom (Avebury)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SU1438371290)
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"Merlin's Mount" | Login/Create an Account | 17 News and Comments
  
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The Marlborough Mound Film by Andy B on Sunday, 19 February 2017
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Marlborough College have made a 35 minute documentary uncovering the Mound, explaining its legacy to those unaware of its profound importance,

https://vimeo.com/193678709



Cerrig and others are compiling a list of recommended documentaries and talks in our forum
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: The Marlborough Mound Film by tjhavenith on Thursday, 24 August 2017
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    Thanks for sharing the video, Andy. I'd never heard of the Marlborough Mound until recently when reading Steve Marshall's Exploring Avebury book. So I was glad to watch this and learn a bit more about it.
    [ Reply to This ]

Merlin's Mount Access by TimPrevett on Wednesday, 25 November 2015
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Are visitors able to casually visit the mount, or do you need official permission from Marlborough College?
[ Reply to This ]

The Marlborough Mound, Wiltshire. A Further Neolithic Monumental Mound by Andy B on Friday, 24 January 2014
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The Marlborough Mound, Wiltshire. A Further Neolithic Monumental Mound by the River Kennet
Jim Leary et al. - Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society / Volume 79 / December 2013, pp 225 - 263

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displaySpecialArticle?jid=PPR&bespokeId=7532

Free access article until 28 Feb - with thanks to Rune for the link
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: The Marlborough Mound, Wiltshire. A Further Neolithic Monumental Mound by Andy B on Friday, 20 May 2016
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    The Marlborough Mound, Wiltshire. A Further Neolithic Monumental Mound by the River Kennet

    Recent radiocarbon dates obtained from two soil cores taken through the Marlborough Castle mound,Wiltshire, show the main body of it to be a contemporaneous monument to Silbury Hill, dating to the second half of the 3rd millennium cal BC. In light of these dates, this paper considers the sequence identified within the cores, which includes two possible flood events early in the construction of the mound. It also describes four cores taken through the surrounding ditch, as well as small-scale work to the north-east of the mound. The topographic location of the mound in a low-lying area and close to rivers and springs is discussed, and the potential for Late Neolithic sites nearby is set out, with the land to the south of the mound identified as an area for future research. The paper ends with the prospect that other apparent mottes in Wiltshire and beyond may well also have prehistoric origins. (as follows)

    Elsewhere, other mottes have been demonstrated to utilise prehistoric earthworks, for example Tenbury Wells, Hereford & Worcestershire. Droughduil, the mound adjacent to the palisaded enclosure at Dunragit, Scotland, was formerly considered to be a motte but its size, 50m in diameter and 10m in height, coupled with the results of recent excavations that encountered a Bronze Age cairn on the summit as well as OSL dates, has encouraged comparisons with Silbury Hill. Castle Hill, Catterick, in Yorkshire, is a further motte site, in this case with insight of the palisaded enclosure at Marne Barracks that has been suggested as potentially Neolithic. It is possible that medieval fortifications utilised pre-existing earthworks on a more regular basis than hitherto recognised. Adapting and modifying what is already there makes perfect sense and by so doing perhaps also appropriating the legitimacy of ancient sites of power; certainly this process has been recorded or suggested in a number of instances(Bowden 2005, 36–7). While it is unwise to question the date of all supposed motte sites that occur in similar topographic locations, the dates from the Marlborough Mound have opened a Pandora’s Box of potentialities.
    https://www.academia.edu/23163702/
    [ Reply to This ]

The Giants of Wessex: the chronology of the three largest mounds in Wiltshire, UK by bat400 on Wednesday, 06 November 2013
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Recent scientific dating programmes on the three largest mounds in Wiltshire in southern Britain allows the chronology of these prehistoric monuments to be better understood. Silbury Hill, at 31m high the largest prehistoric mound in Europe, was the focus of a multi-million pound archaeological and conservation project after a cavity opened up on the summit in 2000 (Leary & Field 2010; Leary et al. in press).

Following this fieldwork, cores were taken to determine the date of the 18m high Marlborough Mound, just 8.3km to the east of Silbury Hill. These cores were inserted centrally from the summit to the base, analysed and dating material was retrieved (Leary et al. forthcoming). The third mound, the Hatfield Barrow located within Marden henge in the Vale of Pewsey, is said to have been as much as 15m high, although it is now demolished. However, recent excavations within the henge enclosure have revealed that a thin remnant of the mound has survived and material suitable for dating was recovered from it (Leary & Field 2012).

Thanks to neolithique02 for the link. For more see: /antiquity.ac.uk
[ Reply to This ]
    Marlborough Mound dated to 2580-2470 BC. New research into other nearby motte sites by Andy B on Saturday, 16 November 2013
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    Jim Leary talked about this at the recent Neolithic Studies Group. New dating puts the start of the construction of Marlborough Mound at 2580-2470 BC and completion approx 2300–2040.

    New research Jim is involved in is to look at more similar motte sites in the area to see if they are also Neolithic in origin. These include the Sherrington mound and at least one of three at Hampstead Marshall. Jim is now a Research Fellow at Reading University http://www.reading.ac.uk/archaeology/about/staff/j-c-leary.aspx but also lists his job at English Heritage as ongoing. I hope he isn't going to be prey to the inevitable cuts in EH's research team as they go for the split.

    Here's the paper: The Marlborough mound, Wiltshire. A further Neolithic monumental mound by the River Kennet. Leary, J., Canti, M., Field, D., Fowler, P., Marshall, P. and Campbell, G. (2013) Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 79.

    Recent radiocarbon dates obtained from two soil cores taken through the Marlborough Castle mound, Wiltshire, show the main body of it to be a contemporaneous monument to Silbury Hill, dating to the second half of the 3rd millennium cal bc. In light of these dates, this paper considers the sequence identified within the cores, which includes two possible flood events early in the construction of the mound. It also describes four cores taken through the surrounding ditch, as well as small-scale work to the north-east of the mound. The topographic location of the mound in a low-lying area and close to rivers and springs is discussed, and the potential for Late Neolithic sites nearby is set out, with the land to the south of the mound identified as an area for future research. The paper ends with the prospect that other apparent mottes in Wiltshire and beyond may well also have prehistoric origins.

    http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/33525/
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: The Marlborough Mound on Press TV by fachtna on Wednesday, 08 June 2011
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Hello - for the purposes of accuracy I should point out that Jim Leary only 'led' the later stages of the recent English Heritage investigations at Silbury Hill (from 15th June 2007 onwards).

The earlier stages (from May 2000 onwards) were 'led' by myself until I was replaced by Mr Leary in somewhat controversial circumstances.
regards

fachtna
[ Reply to This ]

The Marlborough Mound on Press TV by Anonymous on Friday, 03 June 2011
The archaeological finds that 'Merlin's Mound built in 2400 BCE' has also been reported on the Press TV channel, here:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/182853.html
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Archaeological investigation dates Marlborough Mound at around 2400 BC by Anonymous on Wednesday, 01 June 2011
Paul Bennett has a lengthier profile of the site here:

http://megalithix.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/merlins-mount/
[ Reply to This ]

Archaeological investigation dates Marlborough Mound at around 2400 BC by Andy B on Tuesday, 31 May 2011
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The Wiltshire landscape around Avebury and Silbury Hill is the heart of prehistoric Britain, and has World Heritage designation. Now another monument can be added to its archaeological treasures: the Marlborough Mound.

The Mound, in the grounds of Marlborough College, was already recognised as a feature of considerable historical significance. It was the motte on which the keep of Marlborough Castle was built fifty years after the Norman Conquest and it subsequently became the centrepiece of a major seventeenth century garden. The latest research has extended its history back by three millennia.

Recent coring of the mound at Marlborough College produced four samples of charcoal, allowing radiocarbon dating for the first time. The samples, which came from different levels in the mound, were taken from two bore holes through the height of the 19m monument, showing that it was built in the years around 2400 BC. This is the first firm evidence proving the theory that the castle motte is largely a re-used prehistoric structure of the highest national standing.

Jim Leary, who led the recent archaeological investigations for English Heritage at the nearby Silbury Hill, and is co-author of the recently published ‘The Story of Silbury Hill’ coordinated EH’s contribution, which also included radiocarbon dating. He says, “This is an astonishing discovery. The Marlborough Mound has been one of the biggest mysteries in the Wessex landscape. For centuries people have wondered whether it is Silbury’s little sister; and now we have an answer. This is a very exciting time for British prehistory”

After the prehistoric mound was re-used as a castle motte – the only known example of its kind – it became an important royal castle for the Norman and Plantagenet kings. It was occasionally the scene of major political events, such as the general oath of allegiance to King John in 1209, as well as being a favourite royal hunting lodge. In the fourteenth century the castle passed to the queens of England, and gradually became neglected.

In the seventeenth century it came into the possession of the Seymour family, and its next avatar was as a feature in a historically significant early romantic garden: a spiral ramp was cut in its side, with a hawthorn hedge enclosing the path which wound to the summit, where there was a water feature.

The Master of Marlborough College, Mr Nicholas Sampson, said: ‘We are thrilled at this discovery, which confirms the long and dramatic history of this beautiful site and offers opportunity for tremendous educational enrichment.’

The work is part of a major conservation programme being undertaken by the Marlborough Mound Trust, specially formed at the invitation of the College and under the coordination of Donald Insall Associates. The Chairman of the Trust, Mr Michael Macfadyen says, ‘The inspiration for this was our founder Eric Elstob, a former pupil at the College, whose generous legacy has provided the means for this work. He would have been totally delighted by this news.’

Note: As part of the College grounds, the Mound is on strictly private property.

For further details please contact:
Donald Insall Associates, Bath Office, Tel: 01225 469898
e-mail deborah.ackerley@insall-architects.co.uk
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Merlin's Mount by Anonymous on Saturday, 20 September 2008
this proves little, Silbury hill itself, according to the latest archaeological findings was not originally flat topped.

the flattening probably occured when it was re-used as a medieval fortification ( a fact which itself has been long known)
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Merlin's Mount by Thorgrim on Tuesday, 03 January 2006
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This is a Norman motte and bailey castle. Rubble footings of a shell keep have been found on the motte and also parts of a curtain wall. The motte was first mentioned in 1138 and the stone castle built between 1175 and 1179. Repaired from 1194 onwards. Possibly built on an earlier mound, but any links with Silbury Hill are tenuous.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Merlin's Mount by RSleepy on Monday, 28 May 2007
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    So it was definately reused as Norman. There is similar mound in Bideford near river - to watch out for Vikings, the locals told me. Also one (unexcavated, not the castle mounds its lower down but bigger) in Lewes, Sussex, which has although been thought to be similar to Avebury.
    [ Reply to This ]

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