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How and why the ancients enchanted Great Britain and Brittany

The Henge Monuments of the British Isles: Myth and Archaeology

The Henge Monuments of the British Isles: Myth and Archaeology

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Obadiah's Barrow - Burial Chamber or Dolmen in England in Isles of Scilly

Submitted by Andy_Creigh on Tuesday, 17 April 2001  Page Views: 17021

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Obadiah's Barrow Alternative Name: Obadiah's Grave
Country: England County: Isles of Scilly Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 Nearest Village: Island of Gugh
Map Ref: SV88800850  Landranger Map Number: 203
Latitude: 49.895594N  Longitude: 6.334838W
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
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 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.
4 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
4

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lucasn visited on 3rd Aug 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 2

PAB paulcall have visited here

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by lucasn : Obadiah's Barrow (Vote or comment on this photo)
This barrow nestles into the hillside and lies very much off the beaten track. It is quite ruinous although four of the six capstones still remain in situ. Like the Great Tomb on Porth Hellick down, this grave also has a short passage leading to the chamber entrance, a constricted jab stone entrance and a westerly facing outlook. Why the passage entrance on these westerly facing chambers? Cult worship perhaps, or maybe it is just an indication of a different use for these chambers.

Inside the chamber it is quite damp and there is an eerie sensation I have not experienced in any of the other graves visited.

When the chamber was excavated in 1901 it was found to contain the remains of a contracted male skeleton, and the remains of a dozen cremation urns.

Over eighty entrance graves have been recorded on the isles of Scilly. They vary a great deal in state of preservation.

Most date to the late Neolithic period (+2500 BC) and continued in construction and use until as late as 700 BC. They are constructed of stone and earth and are circular in shape. Usually surrounded by a stone kerb, with a rectangular stone chamber constructed of stone and course walling and covered by large capstones. The entrances themselves vary in the direction they face, although the majority face Easterly to catch the rays of the rising sun.

They vary a great deal in size perhaps reflecting the social standing of those buried there, and/or the different functions of the monuments themselves.

From the human remains found in many of the chambers burial was a primary function for these sites. Cremation was the usual form with the bones deposited loose or in urns, occasionally accompanied by grave goods. In three chambers burials span a period of nearly 700 years.

It is also likely that they were used as territorial markers, and places of ritual offering to ensure the fertility of the land, possibly linked to early field boundaries associated with many of the sites.
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Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Andy_Creigh : Image © Andy Creigh (Vote or comment on this photo)

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Fallen capstones and the Chamber (Vote or comment on this photo)

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by PAB : Obadiah's Barrow Looking down over Obadiah's Barrow on Kittern Hill on Gugh, towards the landing stage on St Agnes. Photo, June 2009 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, The end of the Chamber (Vote or comment on this photo)

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Looking over the Chamber at the lovely Porth Conger (Vote or comment on this photo)

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Inside the Chamber

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Capstones

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Looking over Porth Conger at St Agnes

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Kerb and Chamber

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Looking out of the Chamber

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Looking towards the end of the chamber

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, The slightly curving Chamber

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Showing the Kerb

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Looking South West over The Bar

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow, Looking North West over Porth Conger

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by Bladup : Obadiah's Barrow

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by PAB : Obadiah's Barrow. Looking from St Agnes towards Kittern Hill, showing the location of Obadiah's Barrow, with the access path leading up from the beach. Photo, June 2009

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by PAB : Obadiah's Barrow. Photo taken June 2009

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by hoya105 : Obadiah's Barrow, easy to find - just walk up to the left from the tidal walk across to Gugh.

Obadiah's Barrow
Obadiah's Barrow submitted by paulcall : Another Scillonian Entrance grave with a great view - this time over St Agnes

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 64m SE 125° Carn Valla Chambered Cairn* Chambered Cairn (SV88850846)
 142m NE 36° The Bow Chambered Cairn* Chambered Cairn (SV88890861)
 170m N 353° Kittern Hill* Burial Chamber or Dolmen (SV88790867)
 174m NE 56° Gugh Chambered Cairn* Chambered Cairn (SV88950859)
 181m N 350° Kittern Rock Chambered Cairn* Chambered Cairn (SV88780868)
 226m NW 315° Tol Tuppens Bronze Age Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (SV88650867)
 240m E 91° Old Man of Gugh* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SV89040848)
 370m E 101° Kimbra Cairn* Cairn (SV89160841)
 588m SSE 153° Clapper of Works* Chambered Cairn (SV8903407959)
 594m SE 140° Carn of Works* Chambered Tomb (SV8915408021)
 1.0km SW 224° St Warna's Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SV8803707792)
 1.0km SSW 207° Devil's Punchbowl* Rock Outcrop (SV88270760)
 1.1km SSW 203° Wingletang Down* Cairn (SV883075)
 1.2km WSW 237° The Nag's Head* Rock Outcrop (SV87790793)
 1.4km WSW 236° Troy Town Maze* Turf Maze (SV876078)
 1.5km WSW 238° Castella Downs Field System* Ancient Village or Settlement (SV875078)
 1.7km SSW 205° Curiosities of St Agnes* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SV8807)
 2.3km NNE 31° Porthcressa Barrow Cemetery (SV901104)
 2.4km ENE 61° Peninnis Head Boundary Misc. Earthwork (SV90970952)
 2.4km ENE 65° Peninnis Head Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (SV91050938)
 2.5km ENE 63° Peninnis Head* Cairn (SV911095)
 2.6km NE 35° Isles of Scilly Museum* Museum (SV904105)
 2.6km NE 40° Buzza Hill* Burial Chamber or Dolmen (SV90601038)
 2.6km NE 41° King Edward's Tower Chambered Cairn* Chambered Cairn (SV90631038)
 2.8km NE 49° Carn Gwavel Souterrain (Fogou, Earth House) (SV910102)
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"Obadiah's Barrow" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
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Re: Obadiah's Barrow by Bladup on Thursday, 09 June 2022
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Obadiah's Barrow's correct Map Ref is SV88800850
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Re: Obadiah's Barrow by Anonymous on Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Please note that the path from the beach is very clear and managable. The path runs next to the feature. Anyone going to Scilly only needs a light pair of walking boots, a spade and a bucket - it is not heavy terrain and most sites are safe but stay away from edges (serious erosion) and dont poke the clifffs.
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Re: Obadiah's Barrow by Anonymous on Tuesday, 25 August 2009
The picture sent in by Thorgrim is not Obadiah's barrow...the island in the background is St Marys?
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Obadiah's Barrow by coldrum on Tuesday, 27 January 2009
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Pastscape record:

http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=303188
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