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 barrow 1300m south of Heath Cottages survives well and will contain
important archaeological information. Evidence concerning the construction of
the barrow, the manner and duration of its use, and also the local
environment, at and prior to that time, will be preserved in the mound, in the
soils buried beneath the mound and external bank, and in the fill of the
ditch. The survival of an external bank is unusual for this area.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow, prominently sited on the crest of a small
spur above a south-facing slope, overlooking a road, the B1078. The barrow is
visible as an earthen mound, around which are traces of an encircling ditch
and an outer, concentric bank. The mound covers a circular area 20m in
diameter and stands to a height of c.1.1m. The ditch, from which earth was dug
and used during construction of the barrow, has become largely infilled, but
it survives as a buried feature and is marked on the north-western side of the
mound by a slight hollow, c.3m in width and 0.2m deep, in the ground surface.
Immediately beyond this hollow are the upstanding remains of the bank, in the
form of an elongated, curving mound, measuring 4m in width and surviving to a
height of c.0.15m.
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.
