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 two contiguous bowl barrows, situated in a belt of
wooded heathland to the west of Dobbs Lane. Each of the barrows is visible as
an earthen mound covering an area c.12m in diameter. The mounds stand to
heights of 1m and 0.8m respectively and the combined length of the two along a
north east - south west axis is approximately 24m. A poorly defined hollow in
the surface of the north eastern mound marks the site of a trench
approximately 1.5m wide, dug since 1921 when the earliest description of the
barrow was published. The barrows are the only two which survive of a closely
spaced group of six, the other four of which were excavated in 1919. One of
those four, a mound approximately 6m in diameter, contained an Anglo-Saxon
cremation burial but the other three were of Bronze Age date.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
21264
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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
