Bowl barrow 150m north east of Dunbury

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.

The bowl barrow 150m north east of Dunbury survives comparatively well and is known from part excavation to contain archaeological remains, providing information about the construction methods adopted for Bronze Age burial mounds, and the local environment.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow, known locally as Soldier's Hump, 150m north east of Dunbury on the crest of Houghton South Down. The barrow has a mound, formerly recorded as being c.11m in diameter and c.1.8m high. There is a crater in the middle, c.7m in diameter and 1.8m deep, probably the result of the excavation carried out in 1883 by J C Mansel-Pleydell. This revealed that the mound was constructed of large flints. No burial was found even though the mound was excavated to the natural surface. There is no surface indication of the ditch surrounding the mound although this will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide.

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:

27381

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Mansel Pleydell, J C, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Arch. Society in The Barrows Of Dorset, Vol. 5, (1883), 32-33

End of official list entry

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