Barnack | |
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Anglo-Saxon tower and Early English spire of St John the Baptist's church |
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Barnack shown within Cambridgeshire | |
Population | 1,000 |
OS grid reference | TF0705 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Peterborough |
Postcode district | PE9 |
Dialling code | 01780 |
Police | Cambridgeshire |
Fire | Cambridgeshire |
Ambulance | East of England |
EU Parliament | East of England |
Website | Barnack Parish Council |
Barnack is a village and civil parish, now in the Peterborough unitary authority of the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. Barnack is in the north-west of the unitary authority, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Stamford, Lincolnshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Pilsgate about 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Barnack. Both Barnack and Pilsgate are on the B1443 road. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 931.
Barnack is historically part of the Soke of Peterborough, which was associated with Northamptonshire but had its own County Council from 1888 until 1965. From 1894 until 1965 there was a Barnack Rural District that was a subdivision of the Soke, and which formed part of Huntingdon and Peterborough until 1974.
Barnack is notable for its former limestone industry, its Anglo-Saxon parish church and an unusual early Bronze Age burial. As well as Hills and Holes, an old Roman mining site which is now nature reserve.
The Barnack burial is an important early Bronze Age find. It comes from a complicated monument which was expanded and altered on at least three different occasions. The original burial was very rich for the period, but was covered by only a small barrow. Later additional burials and cremations were cut into the barrow, and it was enlarged twice. Probably at the same time, three concentric ditches were dug around the barrow. The final monument contained at least 23 bodies and had a diameter of 50 metres (160 ft).
When gravel quarrying threatened the barrow in 1974, the decision was taken to excavate. The objects recovered were donated to the British Museum but replicas are displayed in Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery.