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. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl
barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring
across most of lowland Britain. 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
and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.
The bowl barrow 700m south-east of the golf course, despite being partly
mutilated, survives well; it remains a substantial monument and a good example
of its class. The monument yielded important archaeological information during
the 1884 exploration and further significant archaeological remains will
survive. These will provide evidence for the society which built the monument
and for the landscape in which it was constructed. It is one of a group of
similar monuments occuring in this vicinity and, considered as such, offers,
valuable information relating to the land use, social structure and burial
practices of the prehistoric community occupying this area of landscape during
the Bronze Age.
Details
The monument includes the remains of a large round barrow situated on flat
ground between the River Teme to the south-west and River Corve to the
north-east. The barrow mound, though damaged in the north and south-east
quadrants, remains visible as a well-defined mound 35m in diameter and up to
3.4m high. Although no longer visible at surface level, a ditch, from which
material was quarried during the construction of the monument, surrounds the
mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried
feature some 3m wide. On the north side of the mound an old excavation trench
has been driven from the perimeter of the mound into the centre at ground
level. This probably represents the site of an excavation by C Fortey in 1884.
Finds from this excavation included a cinerary urn, which was shattered during
the digging, found some 2ft from the mound summit and a cremated burial in a
cist located at a depth of 7ft. A second larger excavation, possibly also
associated with the 1884 works, has removed much of the south-east segment of
the mound down to ground level. However as there is no spoil from this
excavation it seems more probable that this mutilation is associated with the
construction of the golf course.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.
