Bowl barrow south of Mount Mead

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.

Despite the limited damage caused to the Mount Mead monument in the 19th century by excavation, the majority of the barrow mound and the surrounding ditch survive intact. The barrow therefore retains significant potential for the recovery of evidence of the nature and date of its use and of the environment in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow which comprises an earthen mound encircled by a now-infilled quarry ditch. This is a large barrow, the mound measuring some 30m in diameter and standing to a maximum height of 3m. Indeed, it was originally even higher; partial excavation at the summit has lowered the mound somewhat. The surrounding ditch has been enlarged on the south side and has collected water for many years. On the remaining sides the ditch has been infilled by soil eroded from the mound and is no longer visible on the surface. The diameter of the mound and ditch together is 36m. No records of who was responsible for the excavation, nor of what was found, have yet come to light, but the trench was already partly obscured in 1923 so that a date in the 19th century for the excavation is most likely. Two small concrete bases for garden ornaments which lie over the infilled ditch on the northern side are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath is included.

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:

12837

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Darvill, T, Monument Class Description - Bowl barrows, 1988,
TQ 65 NW,

End of official list entry

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