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 barrow is one of a pair of bowl barrows surviving on the edge of the
deserted medieval village of Elmswell. Despite part excavation of this
monument, the barrow survives reasonably well. Excavation revealed that the
barrow was possibly reused during the Roman period, which is unusual. The
barrow will retain further archaeological information, including evidence for
its manner of construction, environmental information from the buried land
surface, and further burial remains.
Details
The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow situated in a field 350m south
east of Springwell Farm, on the southern edge of the earthwork remains of the
medieval village of Elmswell.
The barrow survives as a mound 8m in diameter and 0.8m in height and is
surrounded by a low ditch 2m wide and around 0.1m deep, which, although
partly infilled through the course of time, will also survive as a buried
feature.
Both barrows of the pair were excavated by J R Mortimer in 1873. This barrow
was found to contain fragments of a funerary urn containing bone ash of what
was presumed to be a cremation, interred in a shallow hole dug into the old
ground surface. Fragments of Roman pottery, corroded iron and a thin piece of
bronze were also recovered from the mound.
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.
