Round barrow 750m north east of Eastleachdowns 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.

Although the mound of the barrow 750m north east of Eastleachdowns Farm has been reduced by ploughing, the central area of the monument has been preserved through its incorporation into a field boundary. The remaining portion of the mound will contain evidence for primary and possibly secondary burials, along with grave goods, which will provide information about the nature of prehistoric burial rituals. It will also have preserved part of the original ground surface, predating the construction of the barrow. The surviving portion of the mound along with its surrounding ditch will also contain environmental evidence in the form of organic remains, which will relate both to the barrow and the landscape within which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes of a bowl barrow just below the crest of a south-facing hill. The visible portion of the barrow mound has been eroded by ploughing, but survives as an elliptical mound measuring a maximum of 20m north-south by 3m east-west and standing to a height of 0.4m. The barrow mound was, however, originally circular with a reported diameter of 20m. The barrow is surrounded by a ditch which has been infilled over the years and can no longer be seen at ground level. It will, however, survive as a buried feature approximately 3m wide. The dry stone wall which runs north-south across the barrow 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:

31938

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
O`Neil, H E, Grinsell, L V, Proc of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Arch Soc in Gloucestershire Barrows, Vol. LXXIX, (1960), 113

End of official list entry

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