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 four contiguous bowl barrows aligned east-west and
situated along the crest of a hill in the Lower Greensand. The western barrow
has a mound 30m north-south, 23m east-west and 2.2m high. To the east the
second and third barrows form a double mound 32m east-west and 20m north-south
with each mound standing to a height of 2m. The most easterly barrow has a
mound 30m north-south, 28m east-west and 2.2m high. All of the mounds have a
slight hollow in the centre suggesting that they were all once partially
excavated. Surrounding the mounds is a single ditch from which material was
quarried during the construction of the monument. This has become partially
infilled over the years but is still visible to the south of the mounds as a
slight earthwork 4m wide and 0.3m deep, the rest surviving as a buried
feature.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
20184
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
