Bowl barrow 70m east of Fishpool Lane 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. 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 minor stock erosion around the water trough on the monument's summit, the bowl barrow 70m east of Fishpool Lane Farm survives well. It is a rare survival in Cheshire of an unexcavated example of this class of monument and will retain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath.

Details

The monument is a bowl barrow located 70m east of Fishpool Lane Farm. It includes a circular earthen mound measuring 25m in diameter and up to 1.3m high. It was originally one of a group of seven barrows known collectively as the Seven Lows. Of these only five remain identifiable. Fences immediately to the north and west of the barrow are excluded from the scheduling, as is a water trough located on the barrow's summit, but the ground beneath all these features is included.

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:

23644

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Gifford Consulting Engineers, , An Archaeological Evaluation at Fishpool Lane, Delamere, Cheshir, (1992), 1-13
Ormerod, G, History of Cheshire in History of Cheshire, Vol. 2, (1882), 2

Other
FMW Report, Capstick, B., Round Barrows at Seven Lows, (1986)
Darvill, T, MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Bowl Barrows, (1989)
Ref No. SJ 56 NE 4, Ordnance Survey, Seven Lows - 2 Round barrows and sites of 5 round barrows,
SMR No. 840/1/4, Cheshire SMR, Seven Lows, (1988)

End of official list entry

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