Saucer barrow 330m north east of The Mill House

Reasons for Designation

Saucer barrows are funerary monuments of the Early Bronze Age, most examples dating to between 1800 and l200 BC. They occur either in isolation or in barrow cemeteries (closely-spaced groups of round barrows). They were constructed as a circular area of level ground defined by a bank and internal ditch and largely occupied by a single low, squat mound covering one or more burials, usually in a pit. The burials, either inhumations or cremations, are sometimes accompanied by pottery vessels, tools and personal ornaments. Saucer barrows are one of the rarest recognised forms of round barrow, with about 60 known examples nationally, most of which are in Wessex. The presence of grave goods within the barrows provides important evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst prehistoric communities over a wide area of southern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a rare and fragile form of round barrow, all identified saucer barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.

The saucer barrow 330m north east of The Mill House survives well, despite some disturbance by an unrecorded antiquarian excavation, and will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. Its close association with a roughly contemporary platform barrow will provide additional evidence for ceremonial and burial practices during the later prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a saucer barrow situated on a chalk spur which forms part of the Sussex Downs. The barrow has a low circular mound around 18m in diameter and 0.5m high with a large central hollow, indicating antiquarian excavation during the 18th or early 19th centuries. The mound is surrounded by a shallow ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. The ditch has become partly infilled over the years but survives as a depression around 2.5m wide and 0.3m deep. The ditch is in turn encircled by a low bank about 4m wide and 0.2m high. A platform barrow around 80m to the north is the subject of a separate scheduling.

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:

32247

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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