Round barrow cemetery on Brook Down known as 'Five Barrows'

Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Despite evidence for partial excavation of some of the barrows in this cemetery, the round barrow cemetery on Brook Down has survived well and will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the cemetery and the landscape in which it was constructed. These barrows are amongst a number which survive along the chalk ridge behind the coast on the south western side of the Isle of Wight.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow cemetery set on the crest of a prominent chalk ridge which runs east-west across the Isle of Wight. The cemetery includes nine barrows, seven of which are bowl barrows, one a bell barrow and one a disc barrow. The most south easterly barrow in the group is a disc barrow. This has a central mound 11.3m in diameter and 0.7m high, with a surrounding berm 10.1m wide. Beyond the berm is a ditch 5.2m wide and 0.6m deep and an outer bank c.4m wide and 0.4m high. The most westerly barrow in the cemetery is a bell barrow with central mound 22m in diameter and 2.2m high. Surrounding the mound is a berm 3.3m wide and an outer ditch 6m wide and 0.3m deep. The seven bowl barrows are closely spaced in the centre of the cemetery. These range in size from 9.5m to 18.3m in diameter and from 0.3m to 2.2m in height. One of the bowl barrows has been levelled and can now only be seen as a cropmark from the air. Surrounding each mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. The ditches of four of the barrows have become partly infilled over the years but can be seen as depressions ranging in width from 2m to 4m and from 0.25m to 1m deep. The ditches of the other three bowl barrows have become completely infilled and can no longer be seen at ground level but survive as buried features from 2m to 3m wide. Most of the bowl barrows in the centre of the group and the bell barrow have central depressions indicating unrecorded antiquarian excavation. An urn inverted over burnt bones, ashes and fragments of charcoal was found in one of the barrows in the cemetery. The triangulation point is excluded from the scheduling, but 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:

21984

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc in Poceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, Vol. 2, (1931), 114
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc in Poceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, (1940), 200
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc in Poceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, (1940), 189-200
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat history and Archaeological Soc in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History an Archaeological Society, (1940), 200
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat history and Archaeological Soc in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History an Archaeological Society, (1940), 180-200
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, (1931), 114
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, (1931), 114
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, Vol. 3, (1940), 200
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, Vol. 3, (1940), 189-200
Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, Vol. 3, (1940), 189-200

Other
AP verticle BKS Surveys Ltd. 11.5.71 job no. B4566 No. 152924,

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