Barrow beside Shotcombe Lane

Overview

Heritage Category: Scheduled Monument

List Entry Number: 1002808

Date first listed: 26-Mar-1958

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

National Grid Reference: SY 54952 94842

Summary

Bowl barrow 520m north-west of Eggardon Hill Farm.

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. 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. Despite significant animal burrowing activity the bowl barrow 520m north west of Eggardon Hill Farm survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, territorial significance, social organisation, funerary and ritual practices and overall landscape context.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 11 January 2016. 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.

This monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the north east facing slopes of Eggardon Hill and on a roadside verge immediately north of Shatcombe Lane. The barrow survives as a circular mound of approximately 15m in diameter and up to 1m high surrounded by a buried quarry ditch from which the construction material was derived. The barrow lies immediately beside the parish boundary between West Compton and Toller Porcorum.

Further archaeological remains survive in the vicinity and many are the subject of separate schedulings.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number: DO 345

Legacy System: RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-451430

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.