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 barrows 820m south-east of White House Farm are components of one of the
best examples of a round barrow cemetery in Suffolk. Most such 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 between the barrow mounds. The barrows survive well and
retain important archaeological information, both in themselves and in
relation to the other barrows in the cemetery. Evidence concerning their
construction, the manner and duration of their use, and also the local
environment, at and prior to the time of their construction, will be preserved
in the mounds and in the soils buried beneath them. 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 two bowl barrows within Seven Hills barrow cemetery,
located within a narrow belt of woodland bounded by the A1156, to the
north, and the Ipswich-Felixstowe railway line to the south. The barrows are
visible as two earthen mounds, set c.26m apart on a line north-west to south-
east. The north-western mound, which adjoins the southern verge of the A1156,
overlooking the road, stands to a height of 1m, and the south-eastern mound to
a height of 1.2m. Each covers a sub-circular area measuring c.26m north-south
by 24m east-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.
