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.
Despite some disturbance in the past, the two bowl barrows known as Stumps
Cross round barrows survive well. The barrow mounds 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 mounds will also preserve environmental
information in the buried original ground surface, predating the construction
of the barrows and giving an insight into the landscape in which the monument
was set. In addition, the mounds and their surrounding ditches will contain
environmental evidence in the form of organic remains, which will relate both
to the barrows and the wider landscape.
Details
The monument includes two bowl barrows, aligned north west-south east, set
just below the crest of a hill in the Cotswolds and within two separate areas
of protection. The northern barrow mound measures 20m in diameter and is 0.6m
high while the barrow mound to the south measures 18m in diameter and is 0.5m
high. Surrounding each mound is a ditch from which material was excavated
during the construction of the barrows. These ditches are no longer visible at
ground level, having become infilled over the years, but survive as buried
features about 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.
