Bowl barrow 160m south west of the National Stud clubhouse

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 160m south west of the National Stud clubhouse is very well preserved, in marked contrast to the majority of barrows in the region which are generally only visible on aerial photographs. 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. Comparison between this monument and other nearby barrow sites will provide important information concerning the variation and development of prehistoric burial practices and the distribution of early settlement.

Details

The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow situated immediately to the north of the A 1305, within the grounds of the National Stud. The barrow mound is circular in plan with a rounded profile, measuring 16.5m in diameter and surviving to a height of approximately 0.8m. The mound is encircled by a ditch from which the material was quarried for its construction. This feature is now largely buried, and remains visible only as a very slight depression, 2m in width. The mound may have suffered some disturbance as a result of being incorporated in an avenue of beech trees planted in the early 19th century by Napoleonic prisoners of war. It is, however, thought to remain unexcavated, unlike many upstanding barrows in the region which were investigated by 19th century antiquarians. The barrow forms part of a dispersed cemetery of similar monuments of which the nearest is at Hare Park (3km to the south west and the subject of a separate scheduling).

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:

27170

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Taylor, A, East Anglian Archaeology in The Barrows of Cambridgeshire, Vol. 12, (1981), 108-120

Other
7455, (1985)
AM 107 FMW report, Patterson, H, Round Barrow SW of Heath Stud Farm, (1988)
Littlewort, P, The beech avenues near the National Stud, (1995)

End of official list entry

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