Howe Hill bowl barrow

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 Howe Hill bowl barrow is very well preserved, in marked constrast to the majority of barrows in the region which are generally only visible on aerial photographs. The mound stands close to its original height, and there is no evidence that it has ever been excavated. Funerary remains surviving undisturbed within and below the mound will provide valuable insights into early burial practices and the beliefs of the community which built the monument. The former ground surface, buried beneath the mound, will retain important evidence for the appearance of the landscape at the time it was constructed. The association between the Howe Hill barrow and the wider group of similar monuments located to the west is particularly significant. Comparison between these sites will provide important information concerning the variation and development of early burial practices and the distribution of early settlement.

Details

The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow situated in a prominent position on high ground to the west of the village of Kennet, on the south side of Dane Hill Road approximately 50m west of its junction with Station Road. The barrow mound is slightly oval in plan, measuring 31m north to south by 28m east to west. It stands about 3m above the surrounding ground surface, with steep slopes surrounding the northern end of the mound and a less severe slope descending to the south from a level area on the summit measuring 6m across. There is no visible indication of a surrounding ditch. The barrow, which is apparently unexcavated, forms part of a dispersed group of similar monuments occupying the high ground to the north east of Newmarket; the nearest of these, which are scheduled separately, lies approximately 1.5km to the south west. This group in turn forms part of a wider distribution of barrows which extends to the south west across the chalk escarpment towards Royston, Herts. The roadside fence line on the northern side of the monument is excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath 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:

27169

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Bray, S, Chippenham Park and Fen River Pipeline Archaeological Assessment, (1991)
Taylor, A, East Anglian Archaeology in The Barrows of Cambridgeshire, Vol. 12, (1981), 108-20

Other
SMR entries: barrows N of Newmarket, 4424,4425,4464 7448,,
O.S. Revisors card, ASP, (1968)

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