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 reduction in the heights of the mounds through cultivation, the four bowl barrows 445m north of Buttern Farm survive comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction, relative chronologies, territorial significance, social organisation, ritual and funerary practices and overall landscape context.
Details
The monument, which falls into four areas of protection, includes four bowl barrows, situated at the summit of a prominent ridge, overlooking the valley of a tributary to the Caudworthy Water. The barrows survive as circular mounds surrounded by buried quarry ditches, from which their construction material was derived. The barrows are arranged in a close group of three to the north with a single outlying barrow to the south. The southern barrow measures 18m in diameter and 0.4m high. Of the northern group the western barrow stands up to 40m in diameter and 1.7m high and was named 'High Moor Barrow' in 1803 - 7. The central barrow is 28m in diameter and 0.4m high, and the eastern mound is 29m in diameter and 1.5m high. All of the barrows have a smooth surface appearance.
Sources: HER:-
PastScape Monument No:-436555, 436558 and 436564
