Obadiah's Barrow or Obadiah's Grave is a

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

entrance grave Entrance grave is a type of Neolithic and early Bronze Age chamber tomb found primarily in Great Britain. The burial monument typically consisted of a circular mound bordered by a stone curb, erected over a rectangular burial chamber and access ...

located on the island of

Gugh Gugh (; kw, Keow, meaning "hedge banks") could be described as the sixth inhabited island of the Isles of Scilly, but is usually included with St Agnes with which it is joined by a sandy tombolo known as "The Bar" when exposed at low tide. The ...

in the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

. The grave sits on a steep slope on the southwestern side of Kittern Hill, the highest point on Gugh. The grave was excavated in 1901 by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

, George Bonsor.

Description

Obadiah's barrow is a Neolithic entrance grave, 22 ft (7m) in diameter and 2 ft (.6m) in height. It is located on

, one of six inhabited islands in the

. The grave is found on the southwestern side of Kittern Hill, the northernmost hill and highest point on the island. Kittern Hill is the site of several burial cairns, including five entrance graves. The largest entrance grave on Gugh is Obadiah's Barrow, also known as Obadiah's grave. Obadia's barrow consists of a predominantly circular mound, approximately 33 ft (10m) in diameter and 4.92 ft(1.5m) high. The grave has a short passage leading to an inner chamber, which measures 17 ft (5.2m) long by 4.6 ft (1.4m) wide. The chamber's walls are 3.6 ft high (1.1m), with stone slabs along the base. There are four visible covering slabs that lie crosswise across the top of the chamber, two have fallen and lie partly in the chamber. The chamber entrance is partially blocked by large edge-set stones.

History

The

were originally settled during the

Neolithic era The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

, circa 2500 BC. Burial monuments on the islands range in date from the later Neolithic period to the Middle Bronze Age (c.2500-1000 BC). Over eighty entrance graves have been recorded on the isles of Scilly. Entrance graves are distinguished by their burial chamber, typically constructed with edge-set slabs, coursed rubble walling or both, and roofed by large covering slabs. The chamber is usually accessible through an opening in the mound's stone outer edge. Excavations of entrance graves have generally uncovered cremation urns, pottery fragments and cremated and unburnt human bones. Obadiah's grave was excavated in 1901 by the British archaeologist, George Bonsor, who discovered a crouching male skeleton in the middle of the chamber and a Bronze Age cremation urn and several cremation urn fragments. Near the entrance to the chamber, Bonsor uncovered a bronze awl, more urn fragments and cremated and unburnt bones. The grave was named for Obadiah Hicks, a farmer who lived on St. Agnes at the time of the excavation. Bonsor lodged with Hicks and named the burial monument after him. Bonsor's surviving plans, drawings and sections of the grave have provided a very detailed record of the entrance grave's chamber and archaeological finds.

References

{{Isles of Scilly Isles of Scilly Archaeological sites in Cornwall Barrows in the United Kingdom Bronze Age sites in Cornwall

Description

History

See also

References