Three bowl barrows 160m north of The Plantation: part of a dispersed group of round barrows on Stockbridge Down

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.



Stockbridge Down is one of few surviving areas of undisturbed chalk downland in Wessex and contains a range of generally well preserved archaeological features. A survey has confirmed the survival of prehistoric round barrows, linear earthworks and field systems all to the south of the Iron Age hillfort of Woolbury.

The three bowl barrows on Stockbridge Down are small and on the whole comparatively well preserved examples of their class. Such small barrows are particularly vulnerable to mechanical erosion yet two of the examples within this group appear to exhibit a profile within which the slight traces of a ditch surrounding the barrow mound may be recognised. The barrows contain archaeological remains relating to Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment.

The monument is situated within an area of unrestricted public access.

Details

The monument includes a cluster of three bowl barrows, situated on the crest of a low chalk knoll to the south of Woolbury hillfort on the lower slopes of Stockbridge Down.

The south westerly barrow has a circular mound 10m in diameter and 0.3m high with traces of a surrounding ditch on the north side. The central barrow has a circular mound 10m in diameter and 0.2m high surrounded by traces of a ditch, most prominent on the north side. The north easterly barrow has an oval mound, 12m east-west, 10m north-south and 0.5m high with no surface indication of a surrounding ditch although this will survive as a buried feature. The irregular shape of the mound suggests that the south side has been partly dug away.

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:

26731

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club in Hampshire Barrows, (1938), 353
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club in Hampshire Barrows, (1938), 353

End of official list entry

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