Reasons for Designation
Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking
ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic
periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early
farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments
surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows
appear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the
human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide
evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and,
consequently, it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites
for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 examples of
long barrows and long cairns, their counterparts in the uplands, are recorded
nationally. As one of the few types of Neolithic structure to survive as
earthworks, and due to their comparative rarity, their considerable age and
their longevity as a monument type, all long barrows are considered to be
nationally important.
The long barrow 140m north west of Dormy House, one of several long barrows in
the area, is a well preserved example of its class and will contain
archaeological remains providing information about Neolithic burial practices,
economy and environment.
Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrows, are funerary monuments
dating from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples
belonging to the period 2400-1500BC. 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 have already been destroyed), occurring across
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 monunent type provides important information on the
diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric
communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a
substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.
The two bowl barrows which form part of this monument, although of a more
common class, are important because of their association with the earlier long
barrow. Both bowl barrows will contain archaeological remains providing
information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment.
Details
The monument includes a long barrow and two bowl barrows 140m north west of
Dormy House on the north east crest of a ridge.
The long barrow has a mound 42m long, a maximum of 22m wide and 2m high,
aligned south east - north west. The mound is slightly wedge-shaped, being
wider at the south eastern end, and has well defined side ditches c.1m deep.
On the north eastern side the ditch is 39.5m long and 8m wide, while on the
south west, the ditch is 36.5m long and 10m wide. An excavation in 1896
produced two sherds of pottery and three fragments of bone.
A bowl barrow, now much reduced in height, was constructed over part of the
west ditch at the south west end of the long barrow mound and was recorded in
1972 as being 8.5m in diameter and 0.6m high. Traces of a ditch were recorded
in 1931 and, although this is no longer visible, it will survive as a buried
feature c.2m wide.
A second bowl barrow, now levelled by ploughing, lies 10m to the north east of
the long barrow. In 1972 it was recorded as having a diameter of 12m and a
height of 0.6m and it was noted that a hole had been dug into the centre of
the mound. A ditch surrounding the mound was recorded in 1931 and this will
now survive as a buried feature c.2m wide. One of these bowl barrows was
probably excavated in 1881 by Cunnington, revealing three primary crouched
inhumations and three secondary inhumations.
All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath
these features is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
