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.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow located on a slight ridge on the western
side of the Breckland region near the fen edge and c.1200m north of the Little
Ouse River. The barrow is visible as an earthen mound encircled by a ditch.
The mound stands to a height of c.2.4m and covers a circular area c.28m in
diameter, and the surrounding ditch, which has become partly infilled, is
marked by hollows c.3.5m wide and c.0.3m deep in the ground surface around the
foot of the mound on the north east and south west sides. There is a slight
cruciform depression in the top of the mound and low banks of earth tailing
from the foot of it across the ditch on the north west and south east sides.
These features are probably the result of an antiquarian excavation by Lord
Rosehill, who is thought to have investigated this and six other barrows in
the Weeting area in 1871.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
21434
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
