Reasons for Designation
Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking
ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic
periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early
farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments
surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows
appear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the
human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide
evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and,
consequently, it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites
for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 long
barrows are recorded in England. As one of the few types of Neolithic
structure to survive as earthworks, and due to their comparative rarity, their
considerable age and their longevity as a monument type, all long barrows are
considered to be nationally important.
Details
The Long Barrow is situated on gently-sloping ground near the crest of
Windover Hill 100m from the head of the much more recent `Long Man of
Wilmington' chalk figure. From a distance, however, the monument appears on
the skyline. It is oriented NE-SW, but neither of the ends appears higher or
broader than the other.
The most distinctive feature of the monument is the elongated earthen mound
measuring some 68m in length and 12-13m in width. The mound has been divided
into 2 uneven parts by a former trackway which gives the false impression of a
separate knoll at the NE end. At its highest point the mound survives to a
height of nearly 2m above the level of the surrounding ground.
Less obvious but nevertheless discernible are a pair of flanking ditches
parallel with the mound from which chalk and earth were quarried with which to
create the mound. These may be seen as slight hollows in which differently
coloured vegetation grows from that which covers the mound and surrounding
area.
No records of any excavation at the monument survive but an accurate survey
was completed earlier this century. This survey clearly indicates that the
monument is of a type characteristic of the Neolithic period.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12773
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
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 Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
