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. The Foxhill round barrow cemetery has the largest number of surviving barrows
in any cemetery within the New Forest. Although some of the barrow mounds
have been reduced in size or partially disturbed, all of the barrows
retain undisturbed remains and the cemetery as a whole has considerable
archaeological potential. The New Forest region is known to have been
important in terms of lowland Bronze Age occupation and a considerable amount
of archaeological evidence has survived because of later agricultural
activity, the result of climatic deterioration, development of heath and the
establishment of a Royal Forest.
Details
This monument includes a bowl barrow situated within a Forestry Commission
conifer plantation on a south facing slope overlooking the valley of the River
Beaulieu. The barrow mound measures 7m in diameter and stands up to 0.5m
high. A shallow hollow in the mound centre measuring 2.5m long, 2m wide and
0.1m deep may be the result of an early excavation. Surrounding the mound is
a ditch from which material was quarried during construction of the monument.
This has become partly infilled over the years, but survives as a slight
earthwork 1.5m wide and 0.3m deep around the east and west parts of the mound
and as a buried feature elsewhere. 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:
20220
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other Darvill, T.C., Monument Class Description - Round Barrow Cemeteries, 1988,
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.
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