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 on Gallows Down, 2km south of
Inkpen. The barrow is orientated east-west with flanking ditches
clearly visible to the north and south. The mound survives to a length
of c.65m and a width of 20m. It is higher to the eastern end where it
survives to a height of 1.5m. Elsewhere the mound averages between
0.5m and 1m. The ditches survive running the full length of the mound
to a width of 7m. The ditch is separated from the mound by a narrow
berm, varying in width between 3 and 7m. Both ditches survive to a
depth of 0.5m. No records of excavation or burial survive.
Situated on the mound, 25m from the east end, is Combe Gibbet. This
survives as a replacement for the original gallows and stands 4m in
height with a biased crossbar. The Gibbet structure is excluded from
the scheduling.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
12001
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
