Scheduled MonumentsEnglandLong mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House

Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House

England
List entry 1015623
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1015623
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.17 hectares
Grid reference
SZ 33627 85568
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down is a Neolithic monument consisting of a rectangular earthwork enclosure situated on the Isle of Wight. The structure comprises a bank and ditch arrangement typical of mortuary enclosures from the early Neolithic period, dating to approximately 4000–3000 BC. Such monuments functioned as ritual and burial spaces within early farming communities and represent significant evidence of ceremonial practice during the earliest phases of agricultural settlement in southern Britain. The enclosure's position on the downland reflects the Neolithic preference for elevated locations for monuments of communal and ceremonial importance.

Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1015623. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House?

Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down is a Neolithic monument consisting of a rectangular earthwork enclosure situated on the Isle of Wight. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1015623.

Who is responsible for protecting Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House?

Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1015623.

What other scheduled monuments are near Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two bowl barrows on High Down, 370m west of Tennyson's Beacon (1.5 km), Bowl barrow on West High Down, 150m north of Roe's Hall (3 km), New Battery and High Down Test Site, The Needles (3.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House

Long mortuary enclosure on Tennyson Down, 800m west of Freshwater Bay House stands on Lambeth Group, bedrock that formed in the Paleocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.