Bowl barrow on Ivinghoe Beacon Hill, 230m east of Ivinghoe Beacon trig pillar: part of the Beacon Hill 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 disturbance to the central area of the barrow mound, most of the round barrow survives well. The close proximity of other monuments of the same period adds to the significance of the site.

Details

The monument includes a well preserved bowl barrow situated at the eastern tip of Ivinghoe Beacon Hill. The barrow mound has a diameter of 12m and stands to the height of 0.5m. The centre of the mound has been disturbed at some time in the past creating a hollow 4m in diameter and 0.2m deep. Surrounding the mound is a ditch, from which material for the mound was quarried. This survives as a well defined earthwork 2m wide and 0.2m deep.

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:

19071

Legacy System:

RSM

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