Bell barrow on Parsonage Down, 1.3km south east of Lord's Hill Farm

Reasons for Designation

Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows (particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

The bell barrow 1.3km south east of Lord's Hill Farm is well preserved and is a good example of its class. It will contain archaeological and environmental evidence that relates to the people who built the barrow and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a bell barrow 1.3km south east of Lord's Hill Farm on Parsonage Down in the rolling chalk country to the south of the Wylye Valley. The mound of the barrow is 21m across and 1.5m high. It has a flat top, an area of which has been disturbed, interpreted as an early attempt at excavation of the barrow. Surrounding the mound is a berm which is 1.5m wide and a ditch from which material was quarried during the barrow's construction. This has been infilled over the years and survives as a buried feature 4m wide except to the north west where it is visible as a shallow earthwork 0.1m deep. The ditch is surrounded by an outer bank 2m wide which has been reduced by cultivation and is visible as a light soilmark.

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:

31677

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, The Victoria History of the County of Wiltshire, (1957), 215

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