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.
Details
The monument includes two bowl barrows located on flat land 390m and 320m
south-south-west of Home Farm. The southern barrow is an earthen mound 35m in
diameter and up to 0.75m high. The northern barrow is a turf and sand mound
35m in diameter and up to 0.5m high. Limited excavation of the northern barrow
during the 1970's located the primary burial which included a cremation of a
teenage woman. The body was cremated and the larger bones broken and placed in
a leather container. This was placed in a pit and covered with a square of
turf, which in turn was covered with a layer of sand and gravel, and then
charcoal.
The mound was then built over this. A date of c.1900 BC was derived from the
associated charcoal by radio-carbon dating. There were also 2 or 3 secondary
cremations. These included 2 cremations in pits, and a shallow scoop 20cm from
the primary pit which contained cremated bone and 2 teeth. The earliest of
these secondary cremations was dated to c.1700 BC. Finds included flint
artefacts recovered throughout the excavation, and a copper rivet from the
primary burial. Evidence for flat burials outside the perimeter of the barrows
came from a pit 2m long and 0.4m deep adjacent to the northern barrow which
contained fragments of an inhumation.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22586
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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.
End of official list entry
