Bowl barrow 400m WSW of Mount Pleasant

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.

Although the Bronze Age bowl barrow 400m WSW of Mount Pleasant has been degraded by ploughing, the mound survives as a slight earthwork sealing buried deposits including funerary remains and the original ground surface. These remains will provide rare information concerning the monument's construction and the date and nature of mortuary practices which took place here. Environmental evidence will also be retained providing information illustrating the landscape in which the monument was set. The proximity of two other bowl barrows to the north, and the monument's association with other burial mounds aligned along the prehistoric trackway now formalised as High Street indicates the significance of the area during the prehistoric period and poses wider questions concerning patterns of ritual use and settlement in this landscape. While the monument is not easily visible from the road, it is accessible to the public via a bridleway which runs alongside the field boundary and across the northern extremity of the mound.

Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a Bronze Age bowl barrow located 158m above sea level on arable land c.400m WSW of Mount Pleasant. Although the mound, which is c.25m in diameter, has been degraded by ploughing, it still stands to a height of 0.5m where it has been protected by the field boundary which crosses its northern extremity. The degraded portion of the mound is clearly visible as a soil mark in the field to the south. The ditch from which material for the construction of the mound was quarried cannot be seen but is thought to survive buried beneath the present ground surface. The monument is situated within 450m of High Street, which follows the route of a prehistoric trackway. The Neolithic long barrow at Top Buildings to the south east (scheduled separately) is similarly aligned with High Street and further prehistoric burial mounds have been documented along the same stretch of highway. Two other bowl barrows within 100m of the monument which have been revealed by aerial photography in the field to the north are the subjects of separate schedulings. The field boundary fence and fenceposts 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 5 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:

27893

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
oblique monochrome photograph, Everson, P, 2921/36-7, (1976)

End of official list entry

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