Local author, Mick Davis, has written a book on the prehistoric remains that are dotted around Frome, an area richer in these prehistoric remains than is generally supposed.
Mick said, “Many of the sites were first recorded by John Skinner, vicar of Camerton and amateur archaeologist from 1800 to 1839. He was a fascinating and difficult man whose diaries have been stored away in the British Library since his shocking death in 1839. During his time as an antiquarian he sketched and opened many barrows from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages – his descriptions and drawings of local sites are reproduced in this book for the first time.
“The monuments begin in the Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, which saw not only the transition from a transient human existence to a settled one but also marked a most significant shift in how our species viewed itself – no longer as part of nature as the hunter gathers had been, but aside from, and attempting to control and master it. A world view that still dominates today.
“Settlement enabled huge increases in population, along with the rise of organised societies and religion. One of the earliest known practices in this brave new world involved ritualistic activities resulting in the creation of the large earthen monuments known as long barrows; enigmatic creations connected with death and ceremonies associated with it.
“As well as making Skinner’s research available to a wider audience, I have visited each site still in existence, (and a few that aren’t!) and taken photographs where possible, providing the first guide to the prehistoric barrows in this area.
“The work includes a comprehensive survey of the now vanished Fromefield long barrow and the excavation to determine the origin of standing stones nearby, as well as going further afield and publishing the earliest sketches of the Stoney Littleton Barrow at Wellow. Other sites include Radstock, Beckington and Trudoxhill. Who knew, for example, that there was once a huge Bronze Age barrow down by the river at Staplemead, or that a blacksmith once used a skull from Stoney Littleton to keep nails in!
“Of Mounds and Men is aimed at the general reader and aims to go some way to explaining these fascinating and puzzling sites. It can be read as an introduction to the history of the period or as a field guide to be taken on visits. It contains numerous illustrations, mainly in colour and is in paperback with 137 pages in a limited edition of 300 copies.
“The work has been acclaimed by Dr. Jodie Lewis FSA principal lecturer in archaeology at the University of Worcester and Dr David Tomalin FSA visiting professor of archaeology at the University of Southampton.”
The book is available from the publisher, The Frome Society for Local Study at info@fsls.org.uk 01373 836595 priced at £14.50 including postage & packing, or from the Hunting Raven Bookshop at £12.
