Bowl barrow 100m south east of Lower Bordean Farm

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 100m south east of Lower Bordean Farm survives well as a substantial earthwork despite some disturbance from ploughing and the construction of a road immediately to the north. The barrow represents an important survival in a relatively low-lying location which has been subject to intense agricultural usage. The remains of the barrow will retain archaeological information relating to its construction and use. In addition the old land surface sealed beneath the mound is likely to contain environmental evidence pertaining to the landscape in which it was constructed. Together with other barrows in the vicinity, the barrow will contribute to a detailed insight into burial and ritual practices in the area during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated 100m south east of Lower Bordean Farm at the base of a shallow valley. The barrow is one of an original group of five, three of which survive; the other two surviving barrows in the group are the subject of a separate scheduling. This barrow has been disturbed by ploughing on its southern side and truncated at its northern end by the construction of a road. The surviving portion consists of a low spread ovoid mound measuring approximately 27m east to west, 24m north to south and a maximum of 2m in height situated against the northern boundary of a field. Adjacent to the mound on all but the northern side is the quarry ditch from which material was taken for the barrow's construction. This has been infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature approximately 2m wide.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

30260

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
RCHME, NMR No. SU 62 SE 4,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.