Bowl barrow 1km south-west of Heath Farm: part of the round barrow cemetery on Deadman's Hill

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.

Despite having been subjected to ploughing, the bowl barrow survives comparatively well as a low earthwork on the summit of a knoll. The mound will retain archaeological information and environmental evidence relating to the monument and landscape in which it was constructed. The monument is one of five bowl barrows forming a cemetery set on the ridge top. Such groups are rare in this part of the country, especially where all the components survive as earthworks.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow which is situated on the summit of a knoll overlooking the Icknield Way, 300m west of the other barrows in the cemetery. The hemispherical earth mound measures 25m in diameter and is a maximum of 1m in height. Although no longer visible at ground level, a ditch, from which material was excavated for the construction of the monument, surrounds the barrow mound. This ditch has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried featrues c.2m wide.

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:

20664

Legacy System:

RSM

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