Bowl barrow 200m north of Flanchford Road: part of Reigate Heath round barrow cemetery

Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Despite only buried features remaining, the bowl barrow 200m north of Flanchford Road is an integral part of the Reigate Heath round barrow cemetery and, as such, contributes to an understanding and insight into the nature and scale of human population in the area during the Bronze Age period.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a bowl barrow, one of a group of seven forming a linear round barrow cemetery aligned north-west to south-east along the crest of a ridge of Lower Greensand. There are no visible earthwork remains but below ground features including central burials and pits are likely to survive. In 1931 the barrow was recorded as a small flat mound 8.2m in diameter and 0.3m high. Surrounding the area of the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This also survives as a buried feature 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:

20170

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Surrey Archaeological Collections in Surrey Barrows 1934-1987: A Reappraisal, Vol. 79, (1987)

End of official list entry

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