Bowl barrow on Blaxhall Common

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.

The barrow on Blaxhall Common survives well, and the area of disturbance resulting from limited explorations in the past is small relative to the monument as a whole. Evidence of the manner in which the barrow was constructed and used, of the duration of its use and also of the local environment, at and prior to the time of its construction, will be preserved in the mound and in the soils buried beneath it.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow, situated on heathland above the River Alde, which lies 750m to the north east. The barrow is visible as an earthen mound standing to a height of 1.2m and covering a circular area 30m in diameter. On top of the mound, two overlapping hollows, both approximately 5m in diameter and respectively 0.9m and 0.65m in depth, mark the site of old explorations. One or both of these may have been created in 1827, when Roman urns are said to have been found here.

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:

21263

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
White, W, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Suffolk, (1844), 160
The Victoria History of the County of Suffolk: Volume I, (1911), 301,626

Other
Quoting local informant, Wilson, KHG, (1991)
Paterson H, AM 12, (1981)

End of official list entry

Print the official list entry