Two round barrows 200yds (180m) W of Winton chalk pit

Summary

Two bowl barrows near Winton Chalk Pit, 892m south-west of Comp Barn.

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 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. Anglo-Saxon burials are sometimes inserted into Bronze Age mounds as secondary burials; such is likely to be the case with this monument.

Although they have been levelled by ploughing, the two bowl barrows near Winton Chalk Pit survive as buried remains containing archaeological evidence and environmental information relating to the barrows and the landscape in which they were constructed. The southernmost barrow has been shown by partial excavation to contain burials of probable Anglo-Saxon date, which enhances its significance.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 3 March 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes two bowl barrows situated on a ridge of chalk downland north-west of Alfriston in the South Downs. They are a short distance to the east of the South Downs Way. The barrows have been levelled by ploughing but survive as buried archaeological remains. The northernmost barrow when seen in 1983 comprised of a roughly circular-shaped mound at least 14m in diameter and 0.6m high. The second barrow is 120m to the south-east. When seen in 1983 it was an oval-shaped mound around 17m in diameter and 1.5m high.

The southern barrow was partially excavated in 1975 and found to contain two burials of probable Anglo-Saxon date.

Further archaeological remains, such as a Cross Dyke, survive in the vicinity of this monument but are not included because they have not been formally assessed.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

ES 300

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
NMR TQ50SW11, TQ50SW12. PastScape 408638, 408641.

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