Saucer barrow on North Down
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1012627
- Date first listed:
- 16-Jul-1956
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 22-Apr-1991
Map
© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2019. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
Use of this data is subject to Terms and Conditions.
The above map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. For a copy of the full scale map, please see the attached PDF - 1012627 .pdf
The PDF will be generated from our live systems and may take a few minutes to download depending on how busy our servers are. We apologise for this delay.
This copy shows the entry on 22-Sep-2019 at 02:30:08.
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Bishops Cannings
- National Grid Reference:
- SU 05827 67971
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.
The significance of the North Down saucer barrow is considerably
enhanced by the numerous barrows and additional evidence for
contemporary settlement in the area of Bishop's Cannings Down which
provide a clear indication of the intensity with which the area was
settled during the Bronze Age period. Despite damage, caused by
cultivation, the lack of evidence for any formal excavation indicates
that the barrow's primary burial, old ground surface and ditch
deposits are likely to survive intact. The monument therefore has
considerable archaeological potential.
Details
The monument includes a saucer barrow, surviving as a low earthwork,
and set on the gentle south-facing slope of a dry valley. The barrow
comprises a central mound c.15m in diameter and 0.1m high set on a
level platform and surrounded by a ditch, no longer visible at ground
level but surviving as a buried feature. Prior to cultivation, the
barrow mound was recorded as being 0.8m high and the ditch was
surrounded by an outer bank giving the barrow an overall diameter of
c.32m.
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:
- 12163
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official listing