Bowl barrow on Shiplate Slait

Reasons for Designation

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

This bowl barrow on Shiplate Slait survives well, being the largest of a group of three bowl barrows in close proximity. Despite the possibility of partial excavation, the monument will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes one of a group of three bowl barrows situated on the western edge of Shiplate Slait, a carboniferous limestone plateau overlooking the Somerset Levels. The barrow has a mound 10m in diameter and c.1.2m high. Surrounding this mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. Two smaller bowl barrows are located c.60m to the east and all have mounds composed of small stones. These barrows were first recorded in documents dating to 1757 and one was partially excavated during the 18th or 19th century. Finds including skeletons and cremations are reported by Phelps in 1839. Excluded from the scheduling are the triangulation point and the drystone wall which crosses the monument but the ground beneath these features is included.

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:

22836

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Phelps, , The History and Antiquities of Somersetshire, (1839), 17

Other
Reference to the two nearby barrows,
Reference to dry stone wall on site,

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