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 Hundred Barrow, a bowl barrow 350m south west of Chalk Pit Farm, survives
well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to
the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.
The survival of the name `Hundred Barrow' reflects the importance that the
site held during the medieval period.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow, known as the Hundred Barrow, situated on
a spur overlooking the Bere Valley to the east. The barrow is situated 800m to
the south east of a broadly contemporary round barrow cemetery on Black Hill.
The barrow has a mound composed of earth, chalk and flint, with maximum
dimensions of 16m in diameter and c.2.2m in height, surrounded by a ditch from
which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. The
quarry ditch has become infilled over the years, but will survive as a buried
feature c.1.5m wide.
The name `Hundred Barrow' reflects the selection of the site as the meeting
place of the assembly from Bere during the Norman and successive medieval
periods.
Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts relating to the modern field
boundaries, although the ground beneath is included.
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.
