Bell barrow and adjacent bowl barrow on Marlborough Common, 120m east of Wootton Bassett Road

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.

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), occuring across most of lowland Britain. Their ubiquity and their tendency to occupy prominant locations makes them a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longeviy 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. Despite some recent disturbance to the bell barrow associated with the surrounding golf course, and cultivation of part of the bowl barrow, much of the Marlborough Common monument survives well and has potential for the recovery of environmental and archaeological remains. The significance of the monument is enhanced by the fact that numerous other barrow mounds survive in the area as well as additional evidence for contemporary settlement. Such evidence provides a clear indication of the extent to which the area was settled during the Bronze Age period.

Details

The monument includes a bell barrow and adjacent bowl barrow, aligned south-east to north-west and set on a prominent hill-top in an area of undulating chalk downland. The bell barrow mound stands to a height of 2.5m and is 22m in diameter. Surrounding the mound are a berm, visible as an earthwork 7m wide to the south of the mound, and a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This is no longer visible at ground level, having become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. At a distance of some 25m to the north-west is a bowl barrow 27m across and 2.5m high. Although no longer visible at ground level a ditch surrounds the mound and survives as a buried feature c.3m 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:

12244

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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