Reasons for Designation
Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period. Despite partial excavation and interference caused through agricultural activity the five bowl barrows south of Newton Farm forming part of a round barrow cemetery survive well and will contain further archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction, relative chronologies, territorial significance, social organisation, ritual and funerary practices and overall landscape context.
Details
The monument, which falls into five areas of protection, includes five bowl barrows, situated along the summit of a prominent coastal ridge, overlooking Hill Downs and the coast. The barrows survive as circular mounds surrounded by buried quarry ditches, from which their construction material was derived. They form a linear arrangement, aligned north west to south east, the northern two forming a closely spaced pair and the others more evenly distributed. The northernmost barrow measures 15m in diameter and 1.3m high. To the south east, the second barrow is 27m in diameter and 1.3m high. The third barrow, known as 'Lousey Barrow', is 25m diameter and 3.4m high with a deep central depression and a trench. It had an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar erected on it in 1880, and a Second World War Home Guard observation post built into it in 1940 following excavation by CK Croft-Andrew. The excavation discovered a complex internal structural sequence and two burials, one a cremation and the other an extended inhumation, surrounded by a ring of beaker pottery sherds. Five small cists beneath a cairn which had been covered with turf were recovered. The fourth barrow is 15.5m in diameter, 1.4m high and has been cut by a hedge and a silage clamp. The final barrow measures 29m in diameter and is 1m high. It is bisected by a field boundary.
The field boundaries, triangulation point and silage clamp are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath these features is included.
Other barrows which form part of the cemetery are the subject of separate schedulings.
Sources: HER:-
PastScape Monument No:-434716, 434719 and 434722
