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 disturbance to the surface of the barrow mound, Maidenhead Thicket
round barrow survives comparatively well with potential for the recovery of
archaeological material and for environmental evidence relating to the
landscape in which the monument was constructed.
Details
The monument includes the remains of a bowl barrow situated on a low west
facing hillslope. The barrow mound survives as a well defined, flat topped
mound, with a diameter of 24.5m and stands to a height of 0.8m. Surrounding
the mound is a ditch, from which the material for the mound would have been
quarried. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a slight
earthwork 2m wide around the north-east quarter of the mound, elsewhere it
survives as a buried feature. MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
19024
Legacy System:
RSM
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