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. Their ubiquity and their tendency to occupy
prominent locations makes them 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 organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are
particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion
of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.
Details
This monument lies at the north-eastern edge of a group of similar
examples in West Wood. It includes a bowl barrow which comprises an
earthen mound and an encircling ditch. The mound survives to a height of
1m at most, although because the ground slopes slightly up to the west
the height diminishes in this direction. It measures 17m in diameter.
The ditch has been completely infilled by erosion of soil from the
mound, but would originally have been dug to provide the soil and flint
nodules for the construction of the mound.
The mound and the ditch together have a diameter of 21m.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12817
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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.
End of official list entry
