Two bowl barrows 680m south-west of Beaulieu Road Station

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 two bowl barrows 680m south-west of Beaulieu Road Station have only been superficially damaged by animal disturbance and partial excavation and form an important visual feature and landmark within this part of the New Forest. The monument survives within a region which is known to have been an important area of lowland Bronze Age occupation. A considerable amount of important archaeological evidence has survived in this area because of a lack of agricultural activity, the result of later climatic deterioration, development of heath and the establishment of a Royal Forest.

Details

The monument includes two bowl barrows aligned east-west and prominently placed on a south-facing escarpment overlooking Shatterford Bottom. The eastern barrow mound is flat-topped, measures 19.1m in diameter and stands up to 1.5m high. A shallow hollow on the eastern side of the summit may be the result of an early excavation. A ditch, from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument, surrounds the barrow mound. This has become partly infilled over the years and survives as a slight earthwork 2m wide to the south-east of the mound and as a buried feature elsewhere. The western barrow mound, which has been partly damaged by excavation and animal burrowing, measures 24m in diameter and stands up to 3m high. A ditch surrounds the mound and survives as a slight earthwork 2.6m wide and 0.2m deep around the south-western quadrant. A mound, situated on the south-western external edge of the ditch and measuring 6m long, 2.6m wide and 0.4m high, may represent the remnants of an outer bank or small associated barrow. The barrows lie within a relict field system and a bank, orientated north-east to south-west, passes between them.

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:

20203

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club in Hampshire Barrows, Vol. 14, (1938)

Other
Darvill, T, Monument Class Description - Bowl barrows, 1988,

End of official list entry

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