MARDEN MOUND

This earthwork, or what is left of it, is one of the least common kind which has a ditch on the inner side of the bank, as found in Avebury. Until 1818 the Marden earthwork contained a large mound called Hatfield Barrow which was referred to as "the largest circular tumulus in England apart from Silbury" repeating the words of William Cunnington the well known Wiltshire archaeologist of the time, who investigated the mound in the early 19th century (1801). It apparently covered some 50 acres, however Sir Richard Colt Hoare (another eminent researcher of his day) was shocked to find the mound completely levelled in 1818, when he  visited it.

In 1807 when Cunnington excavated the mound he failed to find any sign of the burial and no signs it had ever been a grave and was more likely used as a hill altar for religious purposes in his opinion. 

According to local folklore, in the fields where the barrow once stood, a great treasure is said to be buried.

Sources

"Vale of Pewsey" by H.W. Timperley 1954

"Folklore of Ancient Wilts" by Katherine Jordan. 1990