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 situated on a chalk ridge, overlooking the
Frome Valley to the north and the South Winterborne Valley to the south. The
barrow has a mound composed of earth, chalk and flint with maximum dimensions
of 38m in diameter and c.0.65m in height. The mound is known from aerial
photographs to be associated with a double ditch from which material was
quarried during the construction of the monument. These ditches are no longer
visible, as they have become infilled over the years and covered by the mound
which has been spread, both will survive as buried features c.3m wide, beneath
the spread of the mound.
The barrow was partly excavated by E Cunnington in 1883, when Beaker pottery,
three cremation burials and ten inhumation burials were recovered.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
28391
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
