Group of three barrows 110m north-east of Heatherdown

Summary

The monument includes two bowl barrows surviving as earthwork and buried remains, set on a gentle south-facing slope between two prominent ridges, Headon Hill and West High Down. To the south are buried ditch features which are the north and south extents of a probable third barrow.

Reasons for Designation

The group of three barrows 110m north-east of Heatherdown, Totland Bay, Isle of Wight are scheduled the following principal reasons:

* Survival: the group of three barrows survive well, with two retaining earthwork mounds, and all three retaining the buried remains of their construction ditches;
* Documentation: geophysical survey has enhanced our understanding of the form and survival of these funerary monuments;
* Potential: the stratified archaeological deposits retain considerable potential to provide invaluable evidence not only for the individuals buried within but also for the ideology, variation in burial practices and social organisation of the communities and social networks that were using the landscape in this way. They also have the potential to provide further information about their construction;
* Group value: as part of a wider funerary landscape, the site has strong group value with nearby scheduled prehistoric monuments including a barrow to the north on Headon Hill (Schedule entry 1010509) and to the south near the Old Coastguards Cottage (Schedule entry 1020366), as well as other barrows (Schedule entries 1010510 and 1010511) and the long mortuary enclosure (Schedule entry 1015623) on West High Down ridge to the south.

History

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.

A group of barrows near Heatherdown was identified by Reverend J Skinner in the C19; he described four barrows on the southern slope of Headon Warren. In the mid-C20 two barrow mounds were identified in this location to the north of Alum Bay New Road. The largest of the two barrow mounds was subject to excavations between 1931 and 1932 by WH Trinder; finds included charcoal, a polished chisel, flint points, a knife and a scraper. In the 1940s LV Grinsell and GA Sherwin surveyed barrows on the Isle of Wight and recorded the two barrow mounds.

The pair of Heatherdown barrows were subsequently scheduled in 1960. In 1976 Headon Warren was cleared and ploughed, this activity appears to have impacted on the southern edge of the southern barrow mound. In 1992 the scheduled area was amended as part of the Monuments Protection Programme. Further in 1992, a watching brief carried out during the excavation of a trench to accommodate a rabbit fence around the two scheduled barrows recorded a section consisting of sandy loam topsoil of between 10cm and 20cm overlying a sandy silt layer containing flinty gravel. No finds were recorded. In 2000 another barrow was identified on the south side of Alum Bay Old Road and it was scheduled in 2002 (Schedule entry 1020266). This may have been one of the four barrows recorded by Reverend Skinner.

In 2021, the pair of barrow mounds to the north of Alum Bay New Road were depicted as part of the Environment Agency National LiDAR Programme. In 2023, magnetometry and ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey was carried out by the Wealden Archaeological Group in advance of repairs and re-fencing of the barrows. The results of the GPR survey recorded a pair of parallel ditches that appear to identify the location of the buried remains of an additional barrow located to the south of the two barrow mounds. This may be the remains of one of the other barrows identified by Reverend Skinner in this location. A further ditch was identified to the south of the curving ditches; it is on a different alignment and it is unclear if this relates to the probable third barrow.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the monument includes two bowl barrows surviving as earthwork and buried remains, set on a gentle south-facing slope between two prominent ridges, Headon Hill and West High Down. To the south are buried ditch features which are the north and south extents of a probable third barrow.

DESCRIPTION: the northern barrow mound is around 25m in diameter and 2m high. It was partially excavated by WH Trinder in 1931 and 1932, finds included charcoal and flint tools.

Around 5m to the south is a further barrow mound. This mound is around 18m in diameter and 2m high.

The buried remains of ditches around 2m wide were identified by the GPR survey to the north and south sides of the pair of barrow mounds. The buried remains of the ditches are likely to surround both barrows and would have been where material was quarried to construct the barrow mounds.

The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey has also identified two parallel ditch curvilinear features, each around 2m to 3m wide, located about 35m apart. The survey was not able to confirm whether the ditches continue to the east and west to form a complete ring. However, based on the available information including the historical record of additional barrows in this area, the curvilinear features appear to be the buried remains of a probable further barrow, projected to consist of a central circular area around 35m in diameter with a 2m to 3m surrounding ditch.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: the scheduled area includes a margin of 2m around the full known extent of the barrows for the support and maintenance of the monument. The fence and fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, but the ground beneath them is included.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

12335

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Trinder, WH, Opening of barrow on Headon Hill Warren in Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society, (1931), .
Grinsell, LV, Sherwin, GA, Isle of Wight barrows in Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society, (1940), .

Other
National Trust HBSMR 125606 Bronze Age bowl barrow, Headon Hill, West Wight
National Trust HBSMR 125607 Bronze Age bowl barrow, Headon Hill, West Wight
National Trust HBSMR 125609 Site of a Bronze Age bowl barrow, Headon Hill, West Wight
2021. DTM_SZ38_mosaic_MULTI-HS_D16_H35_Ve2.0_RGB.
Williams, R, Geophysical Survey Report, Warren Farm Field, Alum Bay New Road (2023)
39 - MIW38, Bowl Barrow, 110m NE of Heatherdown, Headon Warren, Isle of Wight County Archaeology and Historic Environment Service Monument Full Report

End of official list entry

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