Bell barrow on Teglease Down

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 bell barrow on Teglease Down survives well despite some disturbance by subequent ploughing and is likely to retain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to its use and the landscape in which it was constructed. This is the only extant barrow of an original group of four.

Details

The monument includes a bell barrow constructed on gently sloping ground on a broad chalk spur at the north east margin of Teglease Down. The monument is roughly circular and includes a central mound, approximately 1.2m high, surrounded by a flat or gently sloping berm, 1m-2m wide, which has been partly levelled where the barrow has been disturbed by ploughing on the north east side. The average diameter of the mound and berm is about 21m. A ditch approximately 1.5m wide and 0.15m deep survives as an infilled feature on the north west side, further unsurveyable traces of which surround the barrow mound. The barrow is slightly flattened on top, a report of 1979 recording an exposed stony core.

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:

31154

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club in Hampshire Barrows, Vol. 14, (1940), 358

Other
AM description, Simms, R, AM7, (1960)

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