Two of three bowl barrows on Upwaltham Hill

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 partial excavation of one of the barrows and disturbance caused by the construction of the later boundary ditch, the two bowl barrows on Upwaltham Hill survive comparatively well and contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes two of a group of three bowl barrows situated on the south-facing slope of a rise in chalk downland. The southern barrow is the smaller of the two and has a central mound which measures 15m in diameter and 0.6m high. Surrounding this is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This is no longer visible at ground level, having become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The second barrow is 8m to the north and has a central mound 27m in diameter and 1.6m high. There is a large hollow in the centre of the mound which suggests that it was once partially excavated. Surrounding the mound is a ditch which, although partially infilled, is still visible to the north of the mound up to 6m wide and 0.5m deep. A boundary bank and double ditch of post-medieval date runs roughly north-south on the western side of the barrow.

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:

20102

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Sussex Archaeological Collections in Sussex Barrows, Vol. 75, (1934), 248

Other
Ordnance Survey, SU91SW26C, (1971)

End of official list entry

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