Two bowl barrows 850m south east of Brimble Pit Pool: part of a group of round barrows north and east of Foxhills Wood

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 two barrows 850m south east of Brimble Pit Pool are well preserved examples of their class. There are no records of any antiquarian excavations of these barrows and they both retain largely original profiles. The two barrows will include archaeological remains containing information about Bronze Age beliefs, economy and environment.

Details

The monument includes two bowl barrows, the most southerly of a dispersed group of round barrows on the south western edge of the Mendip Hills. The two barrows lie to the east of Foxhills Wood immediately below the crest of the hill and are aligned north east-south west. The larger, most southerly, barrow includes a mound 11.5m in diameter and 1m high. The second barrow includes a mound 10m in diameter and 0.7m high. Although no longer visible on the surface, a ditch surrounds each of the mounds and will survive as a buried feature approximately 2m 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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

29771

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L, Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural Hist Soc in Somerset Barrows Part II, (1971), 122
Grinsell, L, Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural Hist Soc in Somerset Barrows Part II, (1971), 122

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