Two bowl barrows 190m south east of Blackcap

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 evidence of partial excavation, the two bowl barrows 190m south east of Blackcap survive well and will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a pair of bowl barrows orientated north-south and situated on a ridge of the Sussex Downs near the summit of Blackcap. The most southerly of the pair is the largest, with a circular mound 8.6m in diameter, surviving to a height of 0.45m. A hollow in the centre of the mound suggests that the barrow may have been partially excavated. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material used to construct it was excavated. Although this is no longer visible at ground level, having become infilled over the years, it survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. One metre north of the large mound, and partly overlying its buried ditch, is a second barrow with a circular mound 5.3m in diameter and 0.35m high. A small hollow in the centre suggests that this mound has also been partially excavated. The smaller mound is also surrounded by a buried ditch c.1m wide.

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:

24385

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Sussex Archaeological Collections in Sussex Barrows, Vol. 75, (1934), 258

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