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.
The barrow 900m south-east of White House Farm is a component of one of the
best examples of a round barrow cemetery in Suffolk and, as such, has
importance relative to its context within the cemetery as a whole. Most barrow
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 different types of round barrow and, wherever large scale
investigation beyond barrows has been undertaken, revealing contemporary or
later 'flat' burials beyond the barrow mounds. The barrow, although truncated
and levelled on the south-western side by a roadside ditch and verge, retains
important archaeological information. Evidence concerning the construction of
the barrow, the manner and duration of its use, and also the local environment
at that time, will be preserved in the barrow mound and in the soils buried
beneath it. Seven Hills cemetery is part of a larger group of round barrows
and circular ditched enclosures which extend in a line to the south-east, over
a distance of 3km, to Levington Heath. The former parish boundary between
Nacton, to the south, and Bucklesham and Foxhall, to the north, follows the
same line, showing a relationship which is of particular interest for the
study of the prehistoric and medieval landscape history of the area.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow within Seven Hills barrow cemetery,
located on the north side of the A1156, north-east of the main group of barrow
mounds. It is visible as an irregular earthen mound, truncated on the south-
western side by a ditch bordering the verge of the road. Approximately 70% of
the original mound survives, standing to a height of 0.8m and covering a semi-
circular area measuring c.15m south-east to north-west and 10m north-east to
south-west.
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.
