Over Norton bowl barrow 150m north west of the intersection between the A361 and the A34(T)

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1009431
Date first listed:: 23-Mar-1949

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1009431
Date first listed:: 23-Mar-1949
Date of most recent amendment:: 13-Oct-1994

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Oxfordshire
District:: West Oxfordshire (District Authority)
Parish:: Over Norton
National Grid Reference:: SP 32597 28350

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.

The Over Norton bowl barrow survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the construction of the monument and the landscape in which it was built.

Details

The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow situated 150m north west of the intersection between the A361 and the A34(T). It occupies a prominent position with views overlooking the surrounding landscape. The barrow mound measures 22m in diameter and stands up to 1.2m high. It was constructed of dry stone rubble and earth. Surrounding the mound, but no longer visible at ground level, is a quarry ditch from which material was obtained during its construction. This will survive as a buried feature c.2.5m wide. The barrow was, until the 1960's, within the open parkland of Over Norton Park. The barrow had been incorporated as a feature within the landscaping of the park and was known as `Druid's Barrow' in the 19th century. Excluded from the scheduling is the wire boundary fence on the barrows northern side, although the ground beneath it is included.

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:: 21844
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Mudd, A, Round Barrows of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, (1983)
'A History of Oxfordshire' in Round Barrows, , Vol. Volume 2, (1939), 346

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.