Bowl barrow 800m west of Marlpit Oak

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.

There is no evidence for formal excavation of the monument and the site has considerable archaeological potential.

Details

The monument includes a ditched bowl barrow in a prominent ridge-top location with extensive views north and west. The barrow mound has a maximum diameter of 25m and survives to a height of 1.8m. Surrounding the barrow mound on the SE and NW sides are traces of a ditch 1m wide and 0.2m deep. This has been obscured on the east side of the mound by construction of an access road and an accompanying drainage ditch. The surface of the access road is excluded from the monument although the ground beneath the track is included. The mound and ditch together have a diameter of 27m.

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:

12132

Legacy System:

RSM

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