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 level ground at the top of the North Downs
scarp overlooking the valley of the Great Stour. It is oriented SE-NW, with
the SE end broader and surviving to a greater height.
The most distinctive feature of the monument is the elongated earthen mound,
measuring some 70m in length and 10-12m in width. It stands to a height of 2m
above the surrounding area at the SE end, and 1m at the NW end. Less obvious
but nevertheless discernible are two long but shallow depressions alongside
the mound which are now no more then 20-30cm deep but which are the filled-in
remains of two deep flanking ditches, the same length as the mound itself,
from which earth and chalk was quarried to make the mound.
No excavations appear to have taken place at this monument, but its form is
distinctively that of a Neolithic burial mound. Similar examples which have
been excavated have shown that a burial chamber containing the remains of a
number of individuals can be expected at the eastern end of the monument.
The surface of the adjacent footpath/track, where it lies within the
constraint area, is excluded from the scheduling although the ground below
remains included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12765
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
