Two bowl barrows 190m east of Brown Down Lodge

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.

The two bowl barrows 190m east of Brown Down Lodge survive comparatively well despite the mound of the westernmost barrow having been disturbed by afforestation. Both will contain archaeological deposits and environmental evidence. A survey of the Blackdown Hills completed in 1992, recorded some 50 barrows and cairns which together will provide a detailed insight into settlement of the area in the Late Neolithic to Late Bronze Age period.

Details

The monument includes two Bronze Age bowl barrows located in Brown Down Wood on the eastern edge of the Blackdown Hills. The barrrows are aligned from east to west. The mound of the easternmost barrow is 10m in diameter and approximately 1.2m high. The mound of the barrow located 10m to its west is slightly elongated in shape with a maximum diameter of 12m and it is approximately 1m high. Ditches will surround the mounds, from which material was quarried during their construction. These have become infilled over the years but will survive as buried features approximately 2m wide.

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:

32180

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of Somerset Archaelogical & Natural History Society in Somerset Barrows, (1969), 37
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of Somerset Archaelogical & Natural History Society in Somerset Barrows, (1969), 37

End of official list entry

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