Bowl barrow on Hornley Common

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.

Despite the possibility of partial excavation of the Hornley Common barrow mound and some limited disturbance of ditch deposits, most of the monument remains intact and survives well. It therefore has considerable archaeological potential.

Details

The monument includes a ditched bowl barrow set on a ridge-top with extensive views to the north, west and south. The barrow mound is 28m in diameter and stands to a height of 1.5m. A ditch 6m wide surrounds the mound and survives as an earthwork 0.2m deep on all but the south side where it underlies a metalled track. A recent cutting along the side of the track has revealed a section across the ditch which includes a dark layer of silt and some timber. Hollows on the centre of the mound suggest previous excavation, possibly in the 19th century. The surface of the metalled track which runs adjacent to the south side of the barrow is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included.

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:

12157

Legacy System:

RSM

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