THE WORK OF E.T. LEEDS:
SITE CASE STUDIES

Abingdon Round Barrow

The round barrow at Saxon Road in Abingdon had never been detected, either on the ground or from the air, until the site was excavated prior to re-development in 1934-35 by E.T. Leeds and D.B. Harden.

This barrow was found on the eastern boundary of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery and dated to the Bronze Age. Only part of the barrow was excavated, although a ditch 10-12 feet wide and 4 feet deep was to enclose the barrow.

In the centre of the barrow the cremated remains of an adult together with other burnt material were recovered. The skeleton of a children was also found nearby. A further four secondary burials were also discovered, containing the skeletons of a man, two women and a broken food vessel dating to the Bronze Age. One of the women's graves also contained the bones of an infant, suggesting that she died before or during childbirth. No grave-goods apart from the pottery vessel were found in the barrow.

The food vessel is held by the Ashmolean Museum.

REFERENCES:

Leeds, E.T. (1936) "Round Barrows and Ring-Ditches in Berkshire and Oxfordshire", Oxoniensia, I, 1936, p18-21.