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 bowl barrow on Ibsley Common 820m south east of Broomy survives
comparatively well despite some later disturbance caused by its use for a
parish boundary marker stone and by gravel extraction related to the use
of the area as a World War II aerodrome. It forms part of a widely spaced
group of at least 15 round barrows situated on Ibsley Common. Partial
excavation of six of these barrows has demonstrated that they retain
archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to each barrow and
the landscape in which it was constructed.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow of Late Neolithic or Bronze Age date,
situated on sloping ground at the heel of a steep spur projecting east from
the northern end of a high gravel plateau on Ibsley Common. This flat plateau,
which covers an area of approximately 240ha, was later used as the site of a
World War II aerodrome for which some associated structural and earthwork
remains survive. The monument is located on the parish boundary between
Ellingham, Harbridge and Ibsley and Hyde which is marked by a square stone set
into the top of the barrow. At least 15 further round barrows are widely
spaced across the common, all of which are situated near the upper edges of
the central plateau or on subsidiary spurs.
These are the subject of separate schedulings. The monument has been disturbed
by the later parish boundary stone and by World War II gravel extraction, but
survives as a roughly circular mound, 13m in diameter. It is situated on a
slight rise on the spur which has been exaggerated by the gravel digging,
rising up to 0.8m above a remnant of the original land surface on the north
western side where traces of a surrounding quarry ditch, 2m wide and 0.1m
deep, survive. This ditch, which would have provided material for the barrow's
construction, has been destroyed to the south where the barrow has been cut by
deep gravel extraction pits. Excavations of six other barrows on Ibsley Common
in 1917 and 1921 revealed similar ditches encircling mounds constructed of
layers of compacted clay, sand and gravel flints. The
excavations indicated oval or rectangular voids for inhumation burials at the
centres of two of the barrows and Bronze Age funerary urns filled with burnt
human bone and other material at the centres of three others. The urns and
other materials recovered from these excavations are now held at the Salisbury
Museum.
The parish boundary marker stone located on the monument 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.
