Devil's Humps, Stoughton
Encyclopedia
The Devil's Humps are four Bronze Age
barrows
situated on Bow Hill on the South Downs
near Stoughton, West Sussex
. They are situated on a downland
ridgeway crossed by an ancient trackway, above Kingley Vale. The Devil's Humps are counted among the most impressive round barrows surviving on the South Downs. The Devil's Humps are within the Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve. The two bell barrow
s together with two pond barrow
s and a cross dyke are listed as Scheduled Ancient Monument
1008371, while the two bowl barrows are listed as Scheduled Ancient Monument 1008372.
s with a banked depression separating them. The two northeastern mounds are bowl barrow
s.
The four barrows forming the Devil's Humps are all aligned and stand 3 to 4 m (9.8 to 13.1 ft) high in spite of damage caused by early explorations. No records survive from these early excavations, so the precise date for the construction of the barrows is unknown. However, they are believed to date from the Late Neolithic
or the Early Bronze Age. It is possible that they were reused in the Roman
and Anglo-Saxon periods.
The barrows are designated from A through to D, in order from the southwest to the northeast.
Barrow A is a bell barrow. It measures 72 feet (21.9 m) across, and is bordered by a 12 feet (3.7 m) wide berm
enclosed by a 12 feet (3.7 m) wide ditch. The ditch is 1.5 foot (0.4572 m) deep, and the barrow stands 12 feet (3.7 m) high.
Barrow B is also a bell barrow. It is 78 feet (23.8 m) across, and encircled by a 15 feet (4.6 m) wide berm. The mound stands 12 feet (3.7 m) high. A ditch runs around the berm; it is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and 1.5 foot (0.4572 m) deep.
Barrow C is a ditched bowl barrow standing 10 feet (3 m) high. It measures 28 by (NS/EW), with the ditch having been filled in on the northwest side by the construction of a boundary bank. The centre of the barrow has been excavated.
Barrow D is another ditched bowl barrow. It also stands 10 feet (3 m) high and measures 24 metres (78.7 ft) across, with damage to the centre from previous excavation. It is partially covered by bramble and scrub.
Two further possible barrows have been identified, one between Barrows A and B, and one to the northeast of Barrow B. They are small depressions measuring approximately 8 metres (26.2 ft) across and 0.8 metres (31.5 in) deep. They resemble pond barrow
s, but are considered to be small in size.
, the tooth of a horse, antlers and a few fragments of Iron Age pottery. The artefacts from Barrow C are now in the collection of the British Museum
. Barrow B was excavated in 1933. Surface finds from Barrow B included a Bronze Age flint scraper and fragments of Bronze Age or Iron Age pottery. The finds are now held by Lewes Museum
.
s, one of which is Goosehill Camp
, and several long barrow
s on Stoughton Down to the north.
defeated a Viking
war party in the Vale, and the Viking leaders were buried in the Devil's Humps, giving them their alternative name of the Kings' Graves, while many of the Viking dead lie where they fell, under the yew trees on the slopes of the hill. Their ghosts are said to haunt the yew groves, and the trees themselves are said to come alive and move at night. This folklore may have had its origin in a battle between the men of Chichester and the marauding Danes that is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
as having taken place in AD 894:
Bronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
barrows
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
situated on Bow Hill on the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
near Stoughton, West Sussex
Stoughton, West Sussex
Stoughton is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located nine kilometres north west of Chichester east of the B2146 road, on a lane leading to East Marden....
. They are situated on a downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
ridgeway crossed by an ancient trackway, above Kingley Vale. The Devil's Humps are counted among the most impressive round barrows surviving on the South Downs. The Devil's Humps are within the Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve. The two bell barrow
Bell barrow
A bell barrow, sometimes referred to as a Wessex type barrow, campanulate form barrow, or a bermed barrow is a type of tumulus identified as such by both John Aubrey and William Stukeley....
s together with two pond barrow
Pond barrow
A pond barrow is a burial mound, circular in shape, well formed, and with an embanked rim made of the earth taken from the depression made in the ground....
s and a cross dyke are listed as Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
1008371, while the two bowl barrows are listed as Scheduled Ancient Monument 1008372.
The barrows
The four mounds form a small cemetery group running in a line southwest to northeast. The two southwestern mounds are located close together; they are bell barrowBell barrow
A bell barrow, sometimes referred to as a Wessex type barrow, campanulate form barrow, or a bermed barrow is a type of tumulus identified as such by both John Aubrey and William Stukeley....
s with a banked depression separating them. The two northeastern mounds are bowl barrow
Bowl barrow
Bowl Barrow is the name for a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from the fact that it looks like an upturned bowl...
s.
The four barrows forming the Devil's Humps are all aligned and stand 3 to 4 m (9.8 to 13.1 ft) high in spite of damage caused by early explorations. No records survive from these early excavations, so the precise date for the construction of the barrows is unknown. However, they are believed to date from the Late Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
or the Early Bronze Age. It is possible that they were reused in the Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
and Anglo-Saxon periods.
The barrows are designated from A through to D, in order from the southwest to the northeast.
Barrow A is a bell barrow. It measures 72 feet (21.9 m) across, and is bordered by a 12 feet (3.7 m) wide berm
Berm
A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas. Berm originates in the Middle Dutch and German berme and came into usage in English via French.- History :...
enclosed by a 12 feet (3.7 m) wide ditch. The ditch is 1.5 foot (0.4572 m) deep, and the barrow stands 12 feet (3.7 m) high.
Barrow B is also a bell barrow. It is 78 feet (23.8 m) across, and encircled by a 15 feet (4.6 m) wide berm. The mound stands 12 feet (3.7 m) high. A ditch runs around the berm; it is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and 1.5 foot (0.4572 m) deep.
Barrow C is a ditched bowl barrow standing 10 feet (3 m) high. It measures 28 by (NS/EW), with the ditch having been filled in on the northwest side by the construction of a boundary bank. The centre of the barrow has been excavated.
Barrow D is another ditched bowl barrow. It also stands 10 feet (3 m) high and measures 24 metres (78.7 ft) across, with damage to the centre from previous excavation. It is partially covered by bramble and scrub.
Two further possible barrows have been identified, one between Barrows A and B, and one to the northeast of Barrow B. They are small depressions measuring approximately 8 metres (26.2 ft) across and 0.8 metres (31.5 in) deep. They resemble pond barrow
Pond barrow
A pond barrow is a burial mound, circular in shape, well formed, and with an embanked rim made of the earth taken from the depression made in the ground....
s, but are considered to be small in size.
Excavations
The two bowl barrows, C and D, were inspected in 1853, and Barrow C was opened. Upon opening it was evident that it had been disturbed previously, although a number of artefacts were recovered. These included burnt bones situated on top of an area of burnt soil, a whetstoneWhetstone
Whetstone may refer to:* Whetstone, a sharpening stone used for knives and other cutting tools* Whetstone , a benchmark for measuring computing power* Operation Whetstone, a nuclear test program in the 1960s- Places :United Kingdom...
, the tooth of a horse, antlers and a few fragments of Iron Age pottery. The artefacts from Barrow C are now in the collection of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. Barrow B was excavated in 1933. Surface finds from Barrow B included a Bronze Age flint scraper and fragments of Bronze Age or Iron Age pottery. The finds are now held by Lewes Museum
Lewes Castle
Lewes Castle stands at the highest point of Lewes, East Sussex, England on an artificial mound constructed with chalk blocks. It was originally called Bray Castle.-History:...
.
Other archaeological remains
There are a number of other ancient remains around Bow Hill and in neighbouring Kingley Vale, including a number of cross dykes and other earthworks, settlement sites in the Vale itself, two Iron Age hill fortHill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
s, one of which is Goosehill Camp
Goosehill Camp
Goosehill Camp is a prehistoric earthwork that dates back to the Iron Age. It consists of two concentric banks and ditches. The inner enclosure has one entrance and surround two levelled hut sites. Goosehill Camp is within the Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve, on the South...
, and several long barrow
Long barrow
A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal tumuli or earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...
s on Stoughton Down to the north.
Folklore
The Devil's Humps are linked to a body of folklore encompassing Kingley Vale on the southern approach to Bow Hill. This folklore records how the men of ChichesterChichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
defeated a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
war party in the Vale, and the Viking leaders were buried in the Devil's Humps, giving them their alternative name of the Kings' Graves, while many of the Viking dead lie where they fell, under the yew trees on the slopes of the hill. Their ghosts are said to haunt the yew groves, and the trees themselves are said to come alive and move at night. This folklore may have had its origin in a battle between the men of Chichester and the marauding Danes that is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
as having taken place in AD 894: