Group of four bowl barrows at the Chantry Post

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 group of four bowl barrows at the Chantry Post survive comparatively well, despite some subsequent disturbance, and will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The barrows are part of a group of broadly contemporary monuments situated along the ridge, providing important evidence for the relationship between burial practices, settlement and land division during the later prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a group of four, closely-spaced bowl barrows situated on a chalk ridge which forms part of the Sussex Downs. The largest barrow of the group lies to the south east and has a roughly circular mound c.13m in diameter and up to c.1m high. This is surmounted by a modern guide post, the base of which has partly disturbed the surface of the barrow. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. This has become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature up to c.2m wide. The two northernmost barrows of the group have mounds c.9m in diameter and up to c.0.75m high, surrounded by now infilled construction ditches up to c.2m wide. Both barrows have been partly disturbed by the siting of modern concrete seats on their mounds. To the south west is the smallest barrow of the four, which survives as a semicircular mound c.7.5m in diameter and up to c.0.3m high. The western side of the barrow mound has been levelled by Chantry Lane, the minor public road which runs up to the ridge from Storrington c.2km to the north. The mound is surrounded by a now infilled construction ditch up to c.2m wide, the western side of which will survive as a buried feature beneath the metalled surface of Chantry Lane. The modern surfaces of Chantry Lane, the concrete seats, wooden guide post and their bases are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features 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:

29266

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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