Belas Knap 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 par ...
,
chambered long barrow
Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repres ...
situated on
Cleeve Hill, near
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral ...
and
Winchcombe
Winchcombe () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury in the county of Gloucestershire, England, it is 6 miles north-east of Cheltenham. The population was recorded as 4,538 in the 2011 census and estimated at 5,347 i ...
, in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a Counties of England, county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town ...
,
England.
It is a scheduled ancient monument in the care of
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
but managed by
Gloucestershire County Council
Gloucestershire County Council is a county council which administers the most strategic local government services in the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire, in the South West of England.
The council's principal functions are county road ...
. "Belas" is possibly derived from the Latin word ''bellus'', 'beautiful', which could describe the hill or its view. "Knap" is derived from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
for the top, crest, or summit of a hill.
It is a type of monument known as the Cotswold Severn Cairn, all of which have a similar trapezoid shape, and are found scattered along the River Severn.
Belas Knap is described in the English Heritage designation listing statement as an "outstanding example representing a group of long barrows
commonly referred to as the Cotswold-Severn group".
History and purpose
Construction is estimated to have taken place around 3000 BC, with following successive burials over a period of years and then the burial chambers were deliberately blocked.
Dimensions
The barrow is about long, about wide and nearly in height.
Description
False entrance
What appears to be the main entrance to the barrow, with intricate dry-stone walling and large
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
jambs and lintels is, in fact, a false one. This may have been to deter robbers, although little in the way of value has been found in undisturbed tomb chambers. Alternatively, it could have been a ‘spirit door’, intended to allow the dead to come and go and partake of offerings brought to the tomb by their descendants.
Burial chambers
The actual burial chambers are down the long East and West sides of the barrow and at its Southern foot. There are four burial chambers, two on opposite sides near the middle, one at the South-East angle and one at the South end. These are formed of upright stone slabs, linked by dry-stone walling and originally had corbelled roofs.
Excavation
In the 1863-1865 excavations, the skeletal remains of five children, aged between 6 months and 8 years, the skull of a young adult male, horse and pig bones and fragments of pottery and serrated flint blade were found among the rubble blocking the 'false entrance'. The passages leading to the chambers were roughly blocked with stones and clay. The lintels and much of the dry walling were rebuilt on the original lines in 1863-65, when the barrow was first explored. After the 1928-1931 work, the walling was secured, three of the chambers were covered and the contour of the mound was restored. Excavations in 1963 found the remains of 38 human skeletons, together with animal bones, flint implements and pottery of the end of the
Neolithic period
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 part ...
(New Stone Age), circa 2000 BC. These burials, however, occurred over a long period of time and it may be that none date to the time when the mound was built.
Access
It is accessed by either of two paths. The best known is the one from the narrow and steep
Charlton Abbots road, south of Winchcombe. There is a 'pull-in' on the left, with a signpost pointing up through the trees to the right. There is a steep climb for the first stretch of the footpath, affording views of Winchcombe, until the rounded hill top is reached. This walk takes approximately 10 minutes. The other is from the 'no through road', which leaves the above road at SP 019263, to go up to Corndean Hall. The last part of the drive is on an unsurfaced track, on which vehicular access is not possible. This cuts out the steep climb of the other route and approaches the site from the West.
Location
The mound is situated at
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was ...
six-figure . It is just below the summit.
Gallery
File:Chamber C at Belas Knap.jpg, Chamber C
File:Interior of Chamber C at Belas Knap.jpg, Interior of Chamber C
File:Entrance to Chamber D at Belas Knap.jpg, Chamber D
File:Interior of Chamber B at Belas Knap.jpg, Interior of Chamber B
File:False Entrance at Belas Knap.jpg, False Portal Entrance
References
External links
Photos of Belas Knap long barrow on geograph.org.uk Belas Knap: English Heritage
{{Authority control
English Heritage sites in Gloucestershire
Stone Age sites in England
Tourist attractions in Gloucestershire
Archaeological sites in Gloucestershire
Barrows in the United Kingdom