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Revision as of 21:04, 26 November 2015
Windmill Tump, also known as Rodmarton Chambered Tomb, is a Neolithic burial site in Gloucestershire, in the form of a stone tumulus or barrow. It is a mound covering the site of graves, in the form of a cairn.[1][2] It is to be found to the west of the village of Rodmarton, south of the road between Cherington and Tarlton. There are trees growing on the site.
Description
It is approximately 69 feet wide and 197 feet long, and is oriented from east to west.[3] The construction consists of approximately 5,000 tons of stone, under a mound. The only portion of the stones that can still be seen is a fake entrance, which lies at the eastern side of the mound.
The site is managed by Gloucestershire County Council, under the guardianship of English Heritage.
Excavations
Digging took place in 1863, and again in 1939, after which the mound was restored.
The site contains two tombs, behind the false entrance, with passageways to the north and south. The tombs contained the remains of ten adults and three children. Animal remains were also uncovered, including boar tusks, horses teeth and calf jawbones.[1]
Two tombstones, were unearthed in the first dig, and these are approximately 8 feet 6 inches in height, and a third and larger stone was leaning against them, seemingly placed in that position.[1] It was noted at the time that this specific arrangement was similar to cromlech mounds in Kilkenny, Ireland, and in Cornwall.[1] The third stone may have been placed in this manner for use in sacrifices.[1]
Evidence of structured walls to support the cairn were also discovered. with a double-thickness wall surrounding the entire structure, and further walls providing strength in a trasverse direction.[1]
Name
There is no evidence that a windmill ever existed in the location; instead, one possible etymology derives from the word Nant from Nantoush, meaning "The diffuser of fire or light",[1] and the English word win which has similar meaning.[4]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Windmill Tump) |
- Location map: 51°40’28"N, 2°5’56"W
- Windmill Tump Long Barrow, Rodmarton - English Heritage
- National Monuments Record: No. 212787 – Windmill Tump
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Samuel Lysons (1865), Our British ancestors: who and what were they?, J.H. and J. Parker
- ↑ Martin Watts (2000), Water and wind power, Osprey Publishing, p. 23, ISBN 978-0-7478-0418-5
- ↑ James Dyer (2001), Discovering Prehistoric England (2 ed.), Osprey Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7478-0507-6
- ↑ The Ethnological journal, Issues 1-9, Trübner & Co., 1865, p. 263, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tA04AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA263&dq=%22Windmill+tump%22&hl=en&ei=9C_kTM3MFZO2hAeK2bGTDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Windmill%20tump%22&f=false, retrieved 1990-11-17
