Bell barrow 350m south-west of Barbury Barn

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1012190
Date first listed:: 17-Feb-1927

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1012190
Date first listed:: 17-Feb-1927
Date of most recent amendment:: 06-Nov-1991

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Preshute
National Grid Reference:: SU 14532 74905

Reasons for Designation

Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows (particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

There is no evidence for formal excavation of the Barbury Barn site and, despite cultivation of the area of the berm and ditch, much of the monument remains intact and survives comparatively well. It therefore has significant potential for the recovery of archaeological remains. The importance of the site is enhanced by the fact that numerous other barrow mounds survive in the area. These give an indication of the extent to which the area was settled during the Bronze Age period.

Details

The monument includes a bell barrow set on a ridge-top with gently sloping ground to the north and south. The barrow mound is 22m in diameter and stands to a height of 1.7m. Surrounding the barrow mound is a berm 2m across and a ditch, from which material was quarried during construction of the monument. This has become infilled over the years and is no longer visible at ground level; it does however survive as a buried feature 3m wide. Late Bronze Age pottery has been recovered from the area of the barrow mound. The diameter of the mound, berm and ditch together is 32m.

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:: 12213
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Meyrick, O, Re bell barrow 350m SW of Barbury Barn

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.