Two bowl barrows on Old Field, 600m ESE of Ludlow golf course club house

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 disturbance and partial excavation the two barrows on Old Field 600m ESE of the golf course club house remain clearly defined as surface features and are good examples of their class. The northern barrow is the better preserved of the two, though both will retain archaeological deposits and environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which they were constructed sealed beneath the mounds and in the ditch fills. Several other monuments of similar type and age occur in this vicinity and considered in association they provide information relating to the land use, density of settlement and the burial practices and social structure of the prehistoric community occupying this area during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes the remains of two small bowl barrows situated on the level plain between the River Teme to the south-west and River Corve to the north-east. The northernmost barrow is visible as a well defined sandy mound 12m north to south by 11m transversely standing up to 1.5m high. The barrow is believed to have been partially excavated in 1884, revealing evidence of a cremation burial and a small piece of bronze. Although no longer visible 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 buried feature approximately 1m wide. The second barrow lies some 23m to the south and comprises a low earthen mound 7m in diameter and up to 0.5m high. This barrow is also believed to have been partially excavated in 1884, though no finds are recorded from it. Similarly it shows no surface indication of a surrounding quarry ditch though one will survive as a buried feature approximately 1m wide. The modern fence in the southern part of the site is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath 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:

19118

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Fortey, C, TSAS in , Vol. VIII, (1885), 445-9

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