West Mersea Barrow
Just up the East Mersea road as you come onto Mersea Island, is a conspicuous mound on the left. It is a Romano-British burial barrow which has been dated to AD 100-120. The mound was excavated in 1912 and an entrance passage built. In the centre was a small burial chamber built of Roman bricks capped by septaria (clay nodules) and inside was a lead box with a wooden lid. The box contained an urn of green glass containing cremated remains.
 
The barrow is also known as Mersea Mound or Mersea Mount.


Entrance passage
 
 
Mersea Barrow - lead box and urn in Colchester Museum. Photo: Pat Kirby
 
 
Barrow Hall and the Barrow before the 1912 excavation.

  The Barrow is well covered with trees
 
  The chamber in the centre of the Barrow

Left: The lead box and urn are now on display in the Castle Museum in Colchester.
Photograph by courtesy of Colchester Museums.
 
Below Left: A postcard of Barrow Hall and the Barrow before the 1912 excavation.
 
Below: The barrow in 1929. At this time the entrance passage was a cut into the side of the mound.

Mersea Barrow in 1929.

Mersea Museum organises open days at the barrow from time to time.
Contact us for details - Info@MerseaMuseum.org.uk.


Do you want to know more?
Follow the links below to view some historic reports on the Barrow:

Extracts from the report on the 1912 excavation of the Barrow

View full report on the 1912 excavation of the Barrow

1969 article from Essex Countryside on Mersea Barrow


Copyright Mersea Island Museum Trust 2010