Barrow Elm round barrow

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.

Barrow Elm round barrow survives well, despite disturbance to the southern side during road construction. The mound will contain evidence for primary and secondary burials, along with grave goods, which will provide information about the nature of prehistoric burial rituals. It will also preserve part of the original ground surface, predating the construction of the barrow. The mound and its surrounding ditch will also contain environmental evidence in the form of organic remains, which relate both to the barrow and the landscape within which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow immediately to the north of the Salt Way. The barrow has a mound measuring 19m east-west by 15m north-south and which is 1.5m high. The mound is surrounded by a ditch which has become infilled over the years and which is no longer visible at ground level. It will, however, survive as a buried feature about 3m wide. Although there is no evidence that the barrow has been excavated in the past, the south side of the barrow has been cut through, and completely destoyed by the line of the modern road. The barrow is thought to have been the meeting point of Brightwold's Hundred, known as `La Berge near Hatherop', although this identification has not been proven. The post and wire fence which encloses the barrow on the north, and the dry stone wall which extends east and west from the edge of the mound, are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features 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:

31937

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Burton, R J, Trans. Bristol and Glos. Arch Society in Archaeological Notes, Vol. LII, (1930), 275-6
Fuller, E A, Trans. Bristol and Glos. Arch Society in Cirencester: The Manor And The Town, Vol. IX.2, (1884), 333

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