Priddy Nine Barrows and Ashen Hill Barrow Cemeteries

Priddy Nine Barrows and Ashen Hill Barrow Cemeteries lie on the high ridges of the Mendip Hills near Priddy in Somerset. The two Bronze Age burial grounds sit about a kilometre east of the village, separated by a stretch of open pasture. Ashen Hill holds eight barrows aligned east to west, while Priddy Nine Barrows contains nine grouped in two clusters. The sites overlook the Priddy Mineries nature reserve and the lead-mined landscape of Stock Hill. Excavations in 1815 revealed cremation burials and grave goods, including bronze daggers and amber beads. The barrows date from between 2000 and 700 BC and are linked to the nearby Priddy Circles. Ashen Hill’s mounds range from 14 to 20 metres across and stand up to three metres high, each surrounded by a now-filled ditch. Priddy Nine Barrows has two distinct groupings: seven in a line on North Hill and a pair 150 metres away. Some mounds show the hollows of early 19th-century digs, while others still bear the scars of later lead extraction. Visitors walk along the ridge crests to see the grassy mounds rising above the Somerset countryside. The open views stretch across the Mendip Hills and down to the village of Priddy. The barrows sit quietly among patches of gorse and heather, with Stock Hill’s plantation visible to the west. The sense of age is strong, reinforced by the scattered flints and the memory of Bronze Age mourners. The sites remain undisturbed, their ditches smoothed by centuries of weather and sheep.