Bowl barrow 720m south east of Longwood 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 720m south east of Longwood Farm lies in an area of significant prehistoric activity, with a number of other bowl barrows within a 1km radius of the site as well as several long barrows, one of which lies only 70m to the south east. The bowl barrow survives reasonably well, despite some plough damage and having been partially excavated. The barrow mound will contain evidence for primary and secondary burials, along with grave goods which will provide information about prehistoric funerary practices and about the size of the local community at that time. The mound will also preserve environmental evidence in the buried original ground surface, predating the construction of the barrow and giving an insight into the landscape in which the monument was set. In addition, the mound and its surrounding ditch will also contain environmental evidence in the form of organic remains which will relate both to the barrow and the wider landscape.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow set on the crest of a hill in the Cotswolds 70m north west of a long barrow, the subject of a separate scheduling. The barrow mound measures 16m in diameter and is 0.25m high. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was excavated during the construction of the barrow. This ditch is no longer visible at ground level, having become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature about 2m wide. The cover cist of the barrow is recorded as having been discovered during ploughing in the 1940s, following which the site was investigated by Mrs Clifford, who discovered the remains of a stone cist measuring 1.1m by 0.76m. The finds from the barrow were four pieces of bone and a fragment of human skull.

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:

32388

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Clifford, E M, Trans. of the Bristol and Glos. Arch. Society in Tumulus Near Bown Hill Long Barrow, Vol. LXXXV, (1967), 214-215
O`Neil, H E, Grinsell, L V, Proc of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Arch Soc in Gloucestershire Barrows, Vol. LXXIX, (1960), 137

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