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 Sevenbarrows Farm barrow is important as it survives well with no
evidence for excavation of the site and has potential for the recovery of
archaeological remains. The significance of the site is considerably
enhanced by its inclusion within the `Seven Barrows' barrow cemetery. Barrow
cemeteries give an indication of the intensity with which areas were
occupied during prehistory and provide evidence for the range of beliefs and
nature of social organisation during the Bronze Age.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow set on the floor of a dry valley in an
area of gently undulating chalk downland. The barrow mound is 35m in diameter
and stands to a height of 3m. The ditch, from which material was quarried
during the construction of the monument, surrounds the mound surviving as an
earthwork 4m wide and 0.2m deep. The barrow mound is part of a wider barrow
cemetery, the core of which lies some 200m to the south-east. 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:
12240
Legacy System:
RSM
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