Bowl barrow 400m south of Rookham

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 bowl barrow 400m south of Rookham, although eroded by ploughing will include archaeological remains containing information about Bronze Age beliefs, economy and environment.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on level ground 400m south of Rookham. The barrow includes a mound 18m in diameter and 0.6m high with a gently sloping profile. Surrounding the mound is a ditch approximately 2m wide, this is still visible on the west side and survives as a buried feature elsewhere around the mound. A drystone wall crosses the northern edge of the ditch and is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it 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:

29775

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Barnes, E E, Wells AR in Barrows of the Neighbourhood, Vol. 23, (1911), 11

End of official list entry

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