Bowl barrow 550m north east of Slip End 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 550m north east of Slip End Farm, survives as a substantial earthwork with associated buried features. It is exceptionally well preserved and forms part of an extensive area of burial mounds scattered upon the chalk uplands of north Hertfordshire and south Cambridgeshire. The barrow is one of the most visible indicators of prehistoric activity in the region and therefore a focus for the study of prehistoric society. The barrow is rare in that it does not appear to have been excavated and its archaeological deposits are expected to survive largely intact.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the lip of a north west facing slope. The mound is visible as a substantial earthwork, covering an area of approximately 30m in diameter. It has been partly spread by ploughing, and its slopes merge gradually with the surrounding field. Its height varies between 0.5m and 1m with the higher part on the north. The ditch, from which earth was dug in the construction of the mound, has become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature visible on aerial photographs. It is believed to be 3m wide.

The bowl barrow is situated near the course of the prehistoric Icknield Way. It lies within an extensive area of burial mounds scattered upon the chalk uplands of north Hertfordshire and south Cambridgeshire. Another bowl barrow 330m to the north west at Highly Hill (SM 20616), is the subject of a separate scheduling.

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:

33348

Legacy System:

RSM

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.

Print the official list entry