Hetty Pegler's Tump

Cotswold-Severn Cairn (Chambered Long Barrow) - Gloucestershire

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Hetty Pegler's Tump is named after a 17th century owner of the field, a Hester Pegler, it is also known as the Uley Long Barrow. The Tump belongs to a class of monuments known as Cotswold- Severn Long Barrows or Cairns. The mound is of average size, being 36m long, 24m wide and 3m high. A modern pathway leads through the original forecourt area to the entrance, this is about 1m high and surmounted by a huge portal stone. This unusual feature is probably the result of a passage capstone being wrongly placed during the restorations of the 1800s. Inside is a passage about 7m long with two side chambers opening off to the south, the end of the passage itself forming a third terminal chamber. This is an unusual layout for barrows of this type, multiple chambers usually have a transepted arrangement, being paired on either side of the passage. Originally, there were two further chambers in the north passage wall, but these were blocked off in the excavation of 1821, hence the aberrant layout seen today. Other transepted barrows of this type have been radiocarbon dated to 3300-3200BC. The remains of 19-20 people were found in and around the chambers during the excavations of 1821 and 1854. The pattern of use seems to have been multiple inhumation added over time, the bones being disturbed, and perhaps removed occasionally for ritual use. The discovery of articulated skeletons as final burials in other barrows of this type suggests that excarnation prior to deposition was not customary.
If you decide to visit Hetty Pegler's you will need artificial illumination to examine the interior properly, and be warned that the interior can get a bit boggy in wet weather. 
We noticed a lot of newly carved graffiti and candle stubs/ wax spills on our last visit, sadly, we are seeing more and more of this kind of recent defacement at the sites we revisit. These special places have survived thousands of years to reach us, please allow them passage through our time without damage.