Two round barrows W of New Town Farm

Summary

Two bowl barrows 345m west and 215m WSW of Knap Cottage.

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. The two bowl barrows 345m west and 215m WSW of Knap Cottage survive well and together with associated monuments they will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction, relative chronologies, territorial significance, social organisation, ritual and funerary 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, which falls into two areas, includes two bowl barrows situated on south east facing slopes within and towards the head of a wide, dry valley. The barrows survive as circular mounds surrounded by buried quarry ditches from which the construction material was derived. The western mound is 15m in diameter and 0.5m high and the eastern mound is 17m in diameter and 0.7m high and appears to overlie a 0.2m deep and 30m diameter earlier depression.

Further archaeological remains survive in the immediate vicinity, some are scheduled separately but others 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:

WI 678

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape 221100 and 221148
Wiltshire HER SU16SW623 and SU16SW625

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