Neale's Barrow, round barrow

Overview

Heritage Category: Scheduled Monument

List Entry Number: 1004696

Date first listed: 19-Mar-1976

Location

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

National Grid Reference: SU 08366 28802

Summary

Bowl barrow called Neale’s Barrow.

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. Maintained as a clearing in woodland the bowl barrow called Neale’s Barrow survives 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.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 24 September 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.

This monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the upper north facing slopes of a wide ridge overlooking the distant valley of the River Nadder. The barrow survives as an 18m diameter circular mound standing up to 1m high surrounded by a 2m wide and up to 0.3m deep quarry ditch from which the construction material was derived. The barrow was named as ‘Ruh beorh’ in a Saxon charter of 826 AD and as ‘Eangylbe beorh’ in a further charter. It was first given the name of Neales Barrow (no apostrophe) in a survey of 1570. Stukeley referred to it as the ‘Tomb of King Cornibus’ and it was described along with two others by Colt Hoare. It lies within the Grade I registered Park of Wilton.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number: WI 849

Legacy System: RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape 213874
Wiltshire HER SU02NE612

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.