Reasons for Designation
Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.
Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, occur either in
isolation or grouped in cemeteries across most of lowland Britain. There are
over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already
been destroyed).
Despite some past disturbance, the three bowl barrows in Sullington Warren
survive comparatively well, and part excavation has shown the cemetery of
which they form a part to contain archaeological remains and environmental
evidence relating to the ways in which it was constructed and used.
Details
The monument includes the three south easternmost bowl barrows of a group of
ten situated along two parallel NNW-SSE aligned Greensand ridges in the lee
of the Sussex Downs. The cemetery is formed by two linear groups of barrows,
one running along each ridge. The monument lies at the south east end of the
eastern group, which consists of six barrows. The southernmost barrow of the
group survives as a semicircular mound measuring c.14m in diameter and up to
c.0.6m high. The mound was originally circular, but has been damaged to the
south east by long term use of an adjacent, south west-north east aligned
footpath. The mound will have been surrounded by a ditch from which material
used to construct the barrow was excavated. This has also been damaged to the
south east, and has become infilled over the years elsewhere, but will survive
to the north west as a buried feature c.1m wide.
Lying c.18m to the NNW is a barrow with a roughly circular mound c.22m in
diameter and up to 1.8m high, which shows signs of part disturbance on its
eastern side some time in the past. The mound will be surrounded by an
infilled quarry ditch c.2m wide. The third barrow of the group is situated
c.8m to the north west and has a circular mound c.15m in diameter, surviving
to a height of c.0.5m. This is surrounded by an infilled quarry ditch c.1m
wide.
The cemetery was partly excavated in 1809 when cinerary urns and burnt human
bones were found.
The modern wooden fence situated within the monument is excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
