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Bell barrow 650m east of the Pennings, Earl's Farm Down

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1009560
Date first listed:: 25-Feb-1991

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1009560
Date first listed:: 25-Feb-1991

Location

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

District:: Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Amesbury
National Grid Reference:: SU 18033 41904

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 1600-1300 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.

Despite limited damage due to cultivation, the Earl's Farm Down bell barrow survives well and, as there is no evidence of formal excavation on the site, has considerable archaeological potential. The importance of the site is further enhanced by its incorporation within a barrow cemetery. Such cemeteries provide valuable information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst Bronze Age communities. Individual barrows within such cemeteries are central to their interpretation and therefore of considerable importance.

Details

The monument includes a bell barrow set below the crest of a gentle south- facing slope in an area of undulating chalk downland. The barrow mound is 22m in diameter and stands to a height of 1m. Surrounding the barrow mound but no longer visible at ground level, are a ditch and berm surviving as buried features to a combined width of c.15m. An outer bank 4m wide and 0.2m high is visible as a low earthwork.

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:: 12201
Legacy System:: RSM

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.