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.
Details
The monument includes two bowl barrows, aligned north-south, one later
encircled by a possible tree planting earthwork, together with a section of
parish boundary bank and ditch. The monument lies on the highest point of the
narrow ridge known as Long Knoll, 760m south of Manor Farm.
The surviving earthworks suggest that there were originally two small bowl
barrows, the northern example approximately 12m in diameter, the southern
approximately 10m. The mounds of both will be surrounded by quarry ditches,
from which material for their construction would have been quarried. These
have become infilled but will survive as buried features about 2m wide. The
parish boundary bank and ditch which runs in an east-west direction along the
spine of the ridge has truncated the southern side of the northern barrow.
Subsequent to this both barrow mounds appear to have been partly excavated as
both exhibit disturbance to the central part of their mounds. This may be the
result of investigations carried out by Sir Richard Colt Hoare in the early
19th century when one barrow was recorded as having `once contained a
skeleton'. Pottery and coins suggesting Roman activity in the vicinity were
also recovered. The southern barrow mound appears, at a later date, to have
been encircled by a comparatively slight ditch and bank, each approximately
1m wide. These may represent the earthworks of a formal tree planting.
A triangulation pillar is positioned on the northern side of the southern
barrow mound.
All fence posts and the triangulation pillar are excluded from the scheduling
although the ground beneath these features is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
26828
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
