Fancy barrow 500m north-east of Little Dilton Farm forming part of the Beaulieu Airfield round barrow cemetery

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 fancy barrow 500m north-east of Little Dilton Farm is part of a round barrow cemetery in the New Forest, an area known to have been important in terms of lowland Bronze Age occupation. A considerable amount of archaeological evidence has survived in this area because of a lack of agricultural activity, the result of later climatic deterioration, development of heath and the establishment of a Royal Forest. The unusual characteristic of the ditch being external to the surrounding bank makes this site of particular interest and significance.

Details

This monument includes a fancy barrow situated on lowland heath. The earthwork includes a flat internal area measuring 34m in diameter surrounded by a circular bank 4m wide and 0.6m high. Surrounding the external edge of this bank is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the barrow. This has become partly infilled over the years, but survives as a slight earthwork measuring 2m wide and 0.3m deep. This barrow is part of the Beaulieu Airfield round barrow cemetery.

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:

20337

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Kidner, H, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club in An Unrecorded Type Of Circular Earthwor In The New Forest, Vol. 8, (1917), 310-314

End of official list entry

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