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.
Excavation of round barrows in the region have shown that they demonstrate a
very wide range of burial rites from simple scatters of cremated material to
coffin inhumations and cremations contained in urns, typically dating to the
Bronze Age. A common factor is that barrows were normally used for more than
one burial and that the primary burial was frequently on or below the original
ground surface, often with secondary burials located within the body of the
mound. Most barrows include a small number of grave goods. These are often
small pottery food vessels, but stone, bone, jet and bronze items have also
occasionally been found. Excavation has also shown that even where no
encircling depression is discernible on the modern ground surface, ditches
immediately around the outside of barrows frequently survive as infilled
features, containing additional archaeological deposits.
The round barrow on Elsham Golf Course 240m north east of Timaru Farm Cottages
is a very rare survival in an area where most have been ploughed flat. It will
retain significant information about the prehistoric burial practices in
northern Lincolnshire.
Details
The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of a prehistoric burial
mound on Elsham Golf Course, 240m north east of Timaru Farm Cottages and 150m
north east of the course club house. The round barrow survives as a 30m
diameter mound rising to just over 1.5m high. It has been landscaped with a
flattened top and a level platform on its southern side for the golf course's
12th tee. In 1976 a small quantity of cremated bone was found in a rabbit
scrape.
The steps built into the side of the mound are excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath 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.
