Bell barrow 450m ESE of Anmer Farm

Reasons for Designation

Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows (particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

The bell barrow 450m ESE of Anmer Farm is one of up to seven which have been identified in north west Norfolk and is unusual within this class of monument in that it includes an outer ditch. Although approximately a third of the mound appears to have been removed, the greater part of the monument survives well and will retain archaeological information concerning the construction of the barrow and the manner and duration of its use. Evidence for the local environment at that time is also likely to be preserved in soils buried beneath the mound and the bank and in the fill of ditch. The barrow has additional interest in relation to the other round barrows of various types in the vicinity which, as a group, have a wider significance for the study of the character and distribution of the prehistoric population of the area.

Details

The monument includes a bell barrow situated on level ground near the western edge of the Good Sands upland region of north west Norfolk. The barrow stands 500m west of Peddars Way and is the northernmost of a dispersed group of round barrows aligned on a north west to south east axis over a distance of c.2.6km. It is visible as a sub-circular earthen mound surrounded by a berm and ditch and a low external bank, and has an overall diameter of c.66m. The mound at the centre stands to a height of c.1.3m and covers an area with a maximum diameter of c.27m north east to south west by c.17m north west to south east, having been partly levelled on the south east side. Where the mound is intact, on the north west side, the surrounding berm is c.1.5m wide, and on the south east side, the distance between the foot of the mound and the inner edge of the ditch is c.9m. The ditch, from which earth was dug and used in the construction of the barrow, has become partly infilled and measures c.10m in width and up to 0.7m deep, although shallower to the south east. The bank which encircles the whole is c.0.25m high and has an average width of c.8m.

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:

21384

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Clarke, R R, 3476: West Norfolk, Anmer, (1936)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.