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 a lack 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 on the brow of a south facing
slope overlooking the valley of the River Beaulieu. The barrow mound measures
10m in diameter and stands up to 0.9m high. A slight hollow in the mound
centre, measuring 4m long, 1.5m wide and 0.3m deep, betrays previous robbing
or early partial exploration of the site. Although no longer visible at
ground level, a ditch, from which material was quarried during construction of
the monument, surrounds the barrow mound. This has become infilled over the
years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide.
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.
