The Mount bell barrow 110m south west of Mount Farm

Reasons for Designation

Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows (particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

The Mount bell barrow is a well preserved example of its class and will contain undisturbed archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction and the landscape in which it was built.

Details

The monument includes a well preserved Bronze Age bell barrow known as `The Mount', 110m south west of Mount Farm. It is situated on a ridge running from north east to south west with views to the east, south and west. The barrow mound measures 22m in diameter and stands up to 2.2m high. A level 2m wide berm around the base of the mound is surrounded by a quarry ditch from which material was obtained during construction of the monument. This ditch has become partially infilled over the years but remains visible at ground level as a shallow depression 4m wide and c.0.4m deep. Beyond the ditch, there are traces of an outer bank which survives up to 1m wide and 0.1m high.

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:

21809

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:10000 Series Source Date: 1980 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: Sheet SP 22 SE
PRN 3180, C.A.O., CHURCHILL, THE MOUNT, (1993)
On site regarding monument history, Jeffery, PP, DISCUSSION WITH POSTMAN/LOCAL AMATEUR HISTORIAN, (1993)
SP 22 SE 8, Ordnance Survey, The Mount, Bowl Barrow, (1977)
On site with Mr Heywood-Lonsdale, JEFFERY, P.P., DISCUSION WITH OWNER, (1993)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.