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 monument includes a long barrow, surviving as a low earthwork, situated
just below the crest of a west-facing slope. The mound, now under
cultivation, has been partly damaged by former quarrying and is adjacent to a
deep hollow. The barrow mound is orientated NE-SW, rectangular in plan with
maximum dimensions of 74m long by 30m wide. Spreads of chalk rubble in the
plough soil indicate the original ends of the mound as well as the limit of
the SE side. The mound survives to a maximum height of 0.6m.
Flanking quarry ditches run parallel to the mound on its SE and NW sides and
survive to a width of 7.5m. An account of the barrow in 1893 states that it
had been levelled nearly to the ground before the end of the 19th century and
refers to the discovery of "an abundance of bones" and "many weapons described
by inhabitants of the village". Partial excavation of the mound towards the
end of the 19th century produced a portion of horn, probably of red deer. A
spearhead recovered from the mound has been identified as Saxon. This
indicates the likely presence of early Medieval burials in or around the
mound.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12106
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
