A saucer barrow and a bowl barrow 250m north east of Hill Barn

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.

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, date 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, covering single or multiple burials. 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. Bowl barrows are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. The saucer barrow 250m north east of Hill Barn survives well, and, although the adjacent bowl barrow has been partly damaged by modern ploughing, the barrows will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the period in which the monument was constructed and used. The close association of the monument with two further, broadly contemporary round barrows provides evidence for the importance of burial practices in this area of downland during the late prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a saucer barrow and a bowl barrow which form part of a dispersed, north west-south east aligned linear group of round barrows running along a ridge of the Sussex Downs. The saucer barrow has a squat, circular mound c.8m in diameter and c.0.5m high surrounded by a now partly infilled, shallow ditch c.1m wide. Encircling the ditch is a c.3m wide outer bank up to 0.4m high. This shows signs of partial disturbance caused by the erection of a modern field fence on its southern side. Lying around 9m to the south east, the bowl barrow has a circular mound c.17m in diameter and surviving to a height of up to 1m. The southern half of the mound has been largely levelled by modern ploughing. Surrounding this is a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. The ditch has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. The modern field fence which crosses the monument is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it 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:

27033

Legacy System:

RSM

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