Reasons for Designation
Saucer barrows are funerary monuments of the Early Bronze Age, most examples
dating to between 1800 and l200 BC. They occur either in isolation or in
barrow cemeteries (closely-spaced groups of round barrows). They were
constructed as a circular area of level ground defined by a bank and internal
ditch and largely occupied by a single low, squat mound covering one or more
burials, usually in a pit. The burials, either inhumations or cremations, are
sometimes accompanied by pottery vessels, tools and personal ornaments. Saucer
barrows are one of the rarest recognised forms of round barrow, with about 60
known examples nationally, most of which are in Wessex. The presence of grave
goods within the barrows provides important evidence for chronological and
cultural links amongst prehistoric communities over a wide area of southern
England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social
organisation. As a rare and fragile form of round barrow, all identified
saucer barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.
Details
The monument includes the earthwork remains of a Bronze Age fancy barrow of a
type known as a saucer barrow, located 20m above sea level on the southern
outskirts of the village of Westborough, about 100m to the west of All Saints'
Church in an area of level pasture enclosed by a loop of the River Witham. The
central mound is approximately 30m in diameter, standing to a height of
c.1.8m. Although well preserved, the profile falls away somewhat to the west,
and on the summit it is broken by three irregular depressions which are
thought to indicate the former presence of trees. A single ditch some 3m wide
is evident as a shallow depression around the southern, western and northern
arcs of the mound, with a bank of a similar width, standing to a maximum of
0.5m following its outer curve. Both ditch and bank level out to the east, and
the extreme eastern arc of the bank has been degraded by the construction of
the adjacent garden. The bank is broken by a 2m wide gap to the south but no
matching causeway across the ditch is apparent.
There are no records of archaeological investigations of the monument, and it
is thought to be largely undisturbed.
The telegraph pole and hawser support are excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
27861
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
