Round barrow 250m south east of Greenfield Hill Barn

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 barrow has been partially excavated, a proportion has been reserved. In addition only a small portion of the surrounding ditch was excavated, and this along with the undisturbed section of the barrow will provide archaeological information and environmetal evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow on the crest of a hill in the Cotswolds. The barrow mound, measuring 23m in diameter and 1.5m in height, is surrounded by a ditch which has been revealed by excavation to be about 3m in width. A resistivity survey undertaken over the entire mound in 1992, revealed that it contained a rubble ring about 15m in diameter surrounding a clay core. The barrow was subsequently partially excavated between July and October 1996 by Dr Alistair Marshall on behalf of the Guiting Manor Amenity Trust. Much of the mound was removed during the course of these excavations, although a rectangular area was retained in order to preserve in situ a proportion of the archaeological deposits forming the mound. These excavations revealed evidence for the original ground surface, along with the burnt base of the funeral pyre through which a shallow pit had been dug to form the base of the mound. Within the barrow itself the cremated remains of an adult male were found, along with some animal bones but no other evidence for grave goods. The barrow was built up over these remains using clay from the surrounding area which was then surrounded by the rubble revetting ring, about 15m in diameter and 2m wide. A second burial containing the cremated remains of at least one adult and probably a child was found to have been dug into the side of the mound at a later date. The area of the excavation was backfilled in September 1997 and minor reshaping was undertaken aimed to bring the barrow as close as possible to its form prior to 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:

31940

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Parry, C, Guiting Power 1 Round Barrow: Report on mound re-shaping works, (1997)
Marshall, A J, Trans. Bristol and Glos. Arch. Society in Guiting Power 1 Round Barrow, Vol. CXI, (1993), 215

Other
Marshall, AJ, Guiting Power 1 Round Barrow: Interim summary of the excavation, 1997,

End of official list entry

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