Bowl barrow on The Long Mynd, 100m north-east of Boiling Well.

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. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. 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 and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Despite some limited disturbance, the barrow 100m north-east of Boiling Well remains a good example of this class of round barrow. It will retain primary archaeological deposits and environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which it was constructed. It is one of several such barrows which occur on The Long Mynd and, as such, contributes to an understanding of the intensity of settlement and nature of land-use in this area of upland during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a bowl barrow situated in a shallow saddle with ground rising to the west and east. The barrow is visible as a well defined mound 12m in diameter and 1.1m high with a shallow central disturbance at its summit, 4m in diameter and 0.5m deep. Although no longer recognisable as a surface feature, a ditch, from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument, surrounds the mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a surface feature some 2m wide.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

19100

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Record No. 01236,

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