Seven bowl barrows and a bell barrow 460m south-west of Foxhill Farm. Part of Foxhill round barrow cemetery

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1009753
Date first listed:: 16-Sep-1963

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1009753
Date first listed:: 16-Sep-1963
Date of most recent amendment:: 12-Jun-1992

Location

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

County:: Hampshire
District:: New Forest (District Authority)
Parish:: Denny Lodge
National Park:: NEW FOREST
National Grid Reference:: SU 36644 08033

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 important archaeological evidence has survived because of a lack of agricultural activity, the result of later climatic deterioration, development of heath and the establishment of a Royal Forest.

Details

This monument is part of a linear round barrow cemetery and includes a nucleated cluster of eight barrows situated in a Forestry Commission conifer plantation on a south facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Beaulieu.

(SU 36640802) The largest barrow is situated towards the eastern edge of the group. It measures 15m in diameter and stands up to 1.4m high. A shallow hollow in the centre of the mound suggests previous robbing or early exploration of the barrow. A ditch, from which material was quarried during the construction of the barrow, surrounds the mound. This has become partly infilled over the years but survives as a slight earthwork 1.7m wide and 0.3m deep.

(SU 36640801) Bowl barrow which measured 6m in diameter and 0.7m high. Though the mound has been partly levelled the surrounding ditch survives as a buried feature c.1m wide, while the buried ground surface is also believed to survive.

(SU 36630803). Bowl barrow which measured 9m in diameter and 0.5m high. Though the mound has been partly levelled the ditch survives as a buried feature c.1m wide.

(SU 36640804) Bell barrow which had an overall diameter of 10m, a level berm 2.4m wide and mound height of 0.9m. Though the mound has been partly levelled the surrounding ditch survives as a buried feature c.1m wide.

(SU 36620806) Bowl barrow measuring 6m in diameter and 0.7m high. The surrounding ditch survives as a buried feature c.1m wide.

(SU 36630804) Bowl barrow measuring 5m in diameter and 0.5m high. The surrounding ditch survives as a buried feature c.1m wide.

(SU 36630805) Bowl barrow measuring 5m in diameter and 0.7m high. The surrounding ditch survives as a buried feature c.1m wide.

(SU 36660803) Bowl barrow which measured 10m in diameter and 0.5m high. Though the mound has been partly levelled the surrounding ditch survives as a buried feature c.1m wide.

The area between the mounds may contain flat graves, cremation burials and traces of contemporary occupation.

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:: 20216
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club' in Hampshire Barrows, , Vol. 14, (1938)
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club' in Hampshire Barrows, , Vol. 14, (1938), 360
Other
Darvill, T.C., Monument Class Description - Round Barrow Cemeteries, 1988,
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.