Bell barrow in Graffridge Wood, 400m south east of Keepers Cottage

Reasons for Designation

Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows (particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

The bell barrow in Graffridge Wood survives as a substantial and impressive example of this rare class of monument. Although it may have been somewhat disturbed by excavation, valuable archaeological deposits, including funerary remains, will survive within the mound, berm and ditch and will provide evidence for the date, method of construction, duration of use and ritual beliefs of the barrow builders. Environmental evidence preserved within the same features will help to illustrate the nature of the landscape in which the monument was set. The monument is situated some 250m south east of a Bronze Age bowl barrow and a Roman burial mound, the subjects of a separate scheduling (27906), indicating the continuing ritual significance of the area from the prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a substantial Bronze Age bell barrow situated in Graffridge Wood, 400m south east of Keepers Cottage. The circular barrow mound is c.25m in diameter and approximately 2.5m high. The berm (platform) on which the mound stands is some 31m wide, sloping slightly down to the encircling ditch. Upcast from this ditch would have been used in the construction of the mound. Although the ditch is partly infilled, it can still be traced as a shallow depression c.0.4m deep and 4m wide. The mound is rounded with a depression some 3m deep in the summit. While this may have resulted from a limited archaeological investigation, probably during the 19th century, no records of this have been traced. It is possible that this depression and a smaller one next to it were caused by the uprooting of trees.

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:

27907

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Hearsay Report, Morris, J, Ordnance Survey Antiquity Model Record Card, (1958)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.