Summary
Two bowl barrows 890m west of Ashridge 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. The two bowl barrows 890m west of Ashridge Farm survive 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.
History
See Details.
Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 27 July 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 two bowl barrows situated on the upper south facing slopes of a prominent ridge overlooking Cheddar Gorge. The barrows survive as conjoined circular mounds surrounded by buried quarry ditches from which the construction material was derived. The western mound measures up to 14m in diameter and 1.2m high and the eastern mound is 13m in diameter and up to 0.8m high.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
SO 111
Legacy System:
RSM - OCN
Sources
Other PastScape Monument No:-194419
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 Culture, Media and Sport.
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