Bowl barrow 430m north east of Gumber Farm

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 430m north east of Gumber Farm survives comparatively well and will contain information relating to the construction and use of the monument. The barrow is one of a group of broadly contemporary monuments situated along this section of the Sussex Downs, providing evidence for the relationship between settlement, land use and burial practices in this area of downland during the later prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a chalk spur which projects from a ridge of the Sussex Downs. The barrow has a circular mound, around 24m in diameter and up to 0.5m high. The mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. This has become infilled over the years, but will survive as a buried feature around 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:

32243

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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