Reasons for Designation
Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary
monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples
belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in
round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds
covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The
burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery
and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows
(particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known
examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods
provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early
prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as
providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a
particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would
normally be considered to be of national importance.
The two bell barrows 820m south of Stonyford Pond both have outer banks set
around the external lip of their quarry ditches. These phenomena are rare
within this class of monument. Furthermore, and despite evidence for partial
excavation, the monument survives well within the New Forest, an area known to
have been important in terms of lowland Bronze Age occupation. A considerable
amount of archaeological evidence has survived in this area because of a lack
of agricultural activity, the result of later climatic deterioration,
development of heath and the establishment of a Royal Forest.
Details
This monument includes two bell barrows situated on lowland heath. The
southern barrow mound measures 16m in diameter and stands up to 1.4m high.
Surrounding the mound is a level berm or platform, surviving to an average
width of 2.2m, a ditch, from which material was quarried during the
construction of the barrow, and an outer bank. The ditch has become partly
infilled over the years, but survives as a slight earthwork 2m wide and 0.8m
deep; the bank is 2.7m wide and 0.4m high. The overall diameter of this
barrow is 35m. The northern barrow mound measures 14m in diameter and stands
up to 1.5m high. Surrounding the mound is a berm, which has an average width
of 1m, a ditch, which is 2m wide and 0.5m deep, and an outer bank 3.5m wide
and 0.4m high. The overall diameter of this barrow is 33m. Both barrow
mounds have evidence for partial excavation or robbing in the form of a slight
hollow in the mound centre.
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.
