Saucer barrow on Cold Crouch

Reasons for Designation

Saucer barrows are funerary monuments of the Early Bronze Age, most examples dating to between 1800 and l200 BC. They occur either in isolation or in barrow cemeteries (closely-spaced groups of round barrows). They were constructed as a circular area of level ground defined by a bank and internal ditch and largely occupied by a single low, squat mound covering one or more burials, usually in a pit. The burials, either inhumations or cremations, are sometimes accompanied by pottery vessels, tools and personal ornaments. Saucer barrows are one of the rarest recognised forms of round barrow, with about 60 known examples nationally, most of which are in Wessex. The presence of grave goods within the barrows provides important evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst prehistoric communities over a wide area of southern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a rare and fragile form of round barrow, all identified saucer barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

Despite the local damage to the monument caused by antiquarian excavation and by the insertion of the Andersen Shelter, the bulk of the monument survives well and exhibits a particularly unusual form, when compared with other examples of this class of barrow, in the relatively high central mound.

Details

This monument, an example of a Bronze Age saucer barrow, is located on one of the several local summits of Combe Hill called Cold Crouch. It includes not only the central earthen mound but also the highly visible circular ditch around it and an outer encircling bank. This latter feature distinguishes this monument from the more common bowl barrows, of which several examples can be seen in the area. The whole monument measures some 19m in diameter. The central mound survives to a height of some 0.6m above the level of the surrounding ground, which is unusually high for a saucer barrow. The surrounding ditch is relatively narrow, measuring only around 1m across, and is some 0.15m deep around most of its circuit. The encircling bank is evident as a ring of earth up to 0.2m high and 1.5m wide, making it more visible then most similar examples. The hollow in the centre of the mound indicates that the mound has been excavated in the past, but no records have survived. On the SE side of the mound a deep, roughly circular trench has been cut to house an Andersen shelter of Second World War date. This trench has damaged the outer bank and the ditch over a length of about 6m but has not encroached upon the central mound. The Andersen shelter and the partially-infilled trench in which it sits are excluded from the scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

12797

Legacy System:

RSM

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