Bowl barrow in Hundred Acre Wood, 330m west of Cherry Trees Farm

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.

The bowl barrow in Hundred Acre Wood survives well as a whole, and although there is some evidence of disturbance to the mound, this is relatively limited in extent. The monument will retain archaeological information concerning the construction of the barrow and the manner and duration of its use, and evidence for the local environment before and during that period is likely to be preserved in soils buried beneath the mound. It is one of several barrows located between 2km and 6km to the east of a large dispersed round barrow cemetery on and around Salthouse Heath, and has additional interest in the context of this larger group. The barrows of the cemetery and the associated group include a variety of forms and types, and the recorded evidence from several which are known to have been the subject of part investigation shows that they are of varying date. As a group, they therefore have a wider significance for the study of the distribution, character and development of the prehistoric population of the area.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located on former heathland on the high ground of the Cromer Ridge, close to the steep northern edge which fronts the coast. The barrow is visible as an earthen mound c.1m in height and covering a circular area c.16m in diameter. It is thought that the mound is encircled by a ditch from which earth was dug and used in the construction of the barrow, and this will survive as a buried feature, although it has become infilled and can no longer be traced on the ground surface. The estimated overall diameter of the barrow, including the ditch, is c.22m. A slight hollow in the surface of the barrow mound on the west side, and a crescent-shaped ridge of earth around the adjacent edge, perhaps mark the site of an antiquarian excavation and the upcast from it. The posts of a fence which crosses the northern part of the barrow mound are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

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:

21374

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
NAR TG 14 SW 19, (1969)

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