Bowl barrow 400m north west of Ranger's Lodge in Cornbury Park

Overview

Location

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.

This barrow north west of Ranger's Lodge is a surviving example of a regional group of small barrows of which a number are known in the vicinity of Cornbury Park and Wychwood Forest. It has survived well, despite its size, due to its location in wooded parkland. It has not been disturbed by excavation and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction and the landscape in which it was built.

Details

The monument includes a small Bronze Age bowl barrow situated on the crest of a north facing slope, 400m north west of Ranger's Lodge in Cornbury Park. The barrow mound survives as a visible earthwork 11m in diameter and up to 0.3m high. Surrounding the mound, but no longer visible at ground level, is a quarry ditch from which material was obtained during its construction. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. The barrow is hidden in woodland and, unlike many others in the area, it does not appear to have been excavated during the 19th century.

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:

21798

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Mudd, A, Round Barrows of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, (1983)
Other
PRN 3390, C.A.O., Round Barrow, (1985)
SP 31 NW 17, R.C.H.M.(E), ? Round Barrow, (1976)

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 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.