Bowl barrow on Cubert Common 250m north of Chywarton

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 barrow on Cubert Common 250m north of Chywarton is a well preserved example of its class which will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was built.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the south west edge of Cubert Common. The barrow, which appears on a 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of 1813, is situated on relatively low-lying ground only 2km inland from the coast at Holywell Bay. The barrow stands 2.9m high and is of rounded appearance with a flat top and a diameter of 34m. There is some mutilation on the south west side of the mound perhaps caused in antiquity by former tracks but there is no record of excavation.

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:

29666

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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