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 some disturbance by the adjacent, modern woodland track and tree-root
action, the bowl barrow in the northern part of Iffin Wood survives
comparatively well and is known from partial excavation to contain
archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and
the landscape in which it was constructed.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the northern side of a
clay-capped, chalk hill forming part of the Kent Downs, overlooking the river
Great Stour to the north west.
The barrow has a sub-circular mound 14.3m in diameter and surviving to a
height of 1.3m, which has been partially disturbed on the north eastern side
by a woodland track. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material used
to construct the barrow was excavated. This has become infilled over the
years, but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide.
The barrow was partially excavated in 1842 when five, inverted Bronze Age
pottery vessels, each covering a cremation burial, were discovered inside.
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.
