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.
Although the barrow in Cottage Wood has undergone limited excavation in the
past, the scale of disturbance is small in relation to the monument as a
whole, which still retains important archaeological information. Evidence
concerning the construction of the barrow and the manner and duration of its
use, as well as of the local environment at that time, will be contained in
the mound, in the soils preserved beneath the mound, and in the fill of the
ditch.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow which consists of an earthen mound and
encircling ditch. The mound covers an area 21m in diameter and stands to a
height of 1.2m. In the southern part of the mound, extending from the centre,
is a hollow 9m long, 5.5m wide and 0.6m deep which is evidence of limited
excavation of probable 19th century date. The surrounding ditch, from which
earth was dug for use in the construction of the mound, has become partially
infilled, but is still visible on the north and west sides of the monument as
a depression 0.6m deep, with a maximum width of 4.5m. On the south and east
sides the circumference of the barrow mound, the original diameter of which
was about 17m, has been extended by upcast from the old excavation so as to
fill and cover the remains of the ditch completely. The present mound and
surviving ditch hollow together have a diameter of 25.5m.
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.
