Two bell barrows at Lodge Hill, 400m NNE of Old Callow Down Farm

Reasons for Designation

Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows (particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

Despite being reduced by cultivation, the two bell barrows at Lodge Hill will retain significant archaeological information as indicated by the minor excavations in the 1930s, which are all the more valuable given the rarity of this class of monument. Funerary remains surviving in buried features within the area of the mounds will illustrate the function of the monuments and the beliefs of the community which built them. Further remains, both funerary and otherwise, may also be found in the fill of the surrounding ditches and in the area of the berms. This will include environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which the barrows were set.

The bell barrows' association with the dispersed group of round barrows aligned across the valley is highly significant for the study of prehistoric settlement in the Chiltern Hills, demonstrating both the variety of Bronze Age burial practices in the area and indicating the route of a contemporary trackway.

Details

The monument includes the buried remains of two Bronze Age bell barrows situated on the northern slope of Lodge Hill, a prominent knoll which rises from the low ground to the north of Bledlow Ridge, overlooking the Aylesbury Vale and the route of the Upper Icknield Way.

The two barrows are separated by a distance of c.25m, and are similar in size. The mounds have been reduced by ploughing since the 19th century, yet still survive to a height of approximately 0.5m, having maximum diameters of c.22m. These are surrounded by level areas, or berms, measuring some 5m in width. The berms are in turn encircled by buried ditches, c.2m in width, from which the material for the mounds was quarried. The ditches and berms are visible as cropmarks and have been recorded by aerial photography.

The northern barrow was partially excavated in 1933 revealing fragments of Bronze Age pottery, flint implements, antler, patches of charcoal and pieces of human bone. Traces of an excavation undertaken in 1855 were also discovered, although no records of this earlier work remain. A human scapula (shoulder bone) was also retrieved from the southern barrow, where it had been unearthed by burrowing animals. A subsequent minor excavation of this mound resulted in the recovery of small fragments of human skull.

The two bell barrows form part of a dispersed group of similar monuments which extends across the valley on a north west-south east alignment between Wain Hill (c.1.5km to the north west) and Saunderton Station (4km to the south east), the nearest example lying some 500m to the south west near the summit of Lodge Hill. The alignment is thought to reflect the route of a prehistoric trackway.

The surface of the farm track which crosses the western edge of the northern barrow is excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath this feature 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:

27123

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Dyer, J F, Archaeological Journal in Barrows of the Chilterns, (1959), 23
Dyer, J F, Archaeological Journal in Barrows of the Chilterns, (1959), 23

Other
Oblique held by Bucks Museum Service, Whiteman Thame, P D, SP 78 00, (1973)
Oblique held by Bucks Museums Service, Whiteman Thame, P D, SP 78 00, (1973)
Matthews, C L and Wainwright, A, National Trust Archaeological Survey - Bradenham, (1990)
Oblique held by Bucks Museum Service, Allen, G W G, 1040, (1937)
Oblique held by Bucks Museum Service, Allen, G W G, 1040, (1937)
Excavators' notes held by Bucks SMR, Colmer, F & Head, J, 0008, (1934)
AP plot filed in Bucks SMR, Allen, D, 007/008, (1979)
AP plot filed with Bucks SMR, Allen, D, 0007/0008, (1979)
Details of Lodge Hill bowl barrow, 0652,
Excavators' notes filed with SMR, Colmer, F and Head, J, 0007/0008, (1934)
Details of the Lodge Hill bowl barrow, 0652,
Letter from J Head to M E Farley, Head, J, Two Round Barrows - Saunderton Lee, (1973)
Letter from J Head to M E Farley, Head, J, Two Round Barrows - Saunderton Lee, (1973)
Details of adjacent Neo/BA/IA site, 0648,
Details of Neo/BA/IA settlement, 0648,

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