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.
Although the barrow 1000m south of the Gliding Club is small and has suffered
some limited disturbance to its upper central area, it will retain primary
archaeological deposits and environmental evidence sealed on the old land
surface beneath the mound and in the ditch fill. It is one of several such
monuments on The Long Mynd and, as such, contributes information relating to
the land-use and intensity of settlement of this area of upland during the
Bronze Age.
Details
The monument includes a small bowl barrow situated on a north-east facing
hillslope. The barrow is visible as a well defined, slightly elongated,
earthen mound with dimensions of 8m downslope, east to west, by 7m across the
slope, north to south. It stands to a height of 0.9m with the summit hollowed
by past exploration to form a small central depression 2m in diameter and 0.2m
deep. Although no longer visible at ground level, a ditch, from which material
was quarried during the construction of the monument, surrounds the mound.
This has become infilled with the passage of time but survives as a buried
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.
