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.
Despite some previous damage by military trenches, the bowl barrow on
Affpuddle Heath, 650m south east of Wood Barn, survives comparatively well and
will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the
monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the crest of a ridge
overlooking the Frome Valley to the south east. The barrow forms part of a
group of six which, together, form a round barrow cemetery across Affpuddle
Heath and Bryant's Puddle Heath.
The barrow has a mound composed of earth, sand and turf, with maximum
dimensions of 12m in diameter and c.0.75m in height. The mound is surrounded
by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the
monument. The ditch is no longer visible, as it has become infilled over the
years, but it will survive as a buried feature c.1.5m 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.
