A group of sixteen round barrows on Cow Down
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1017933
- Date first listed:
- 10-Mar-1925
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1017933
- Date first listed:
- 10-Mar-1925
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 04-Jan-1990
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Collingbourne Ducis
- National Grid Reference:
- SU 22940 51535
Reasons for Designation
The most complete and extensive survival of chalk downland archaeological remains in central southern England occurs on Salisbury Plain, particularly in those areas lying within the Salisbury Plain Training Area. These remains represent one of the few extant archaeological "landscapes" in Britain and are considered to be of special significance because they differ in character from those in other areas with comparable levels of preservation. Individual sites on Salisbury Plain are seen as being additionally important because the evidence of their direct association with each other survives so well. Some 470 round barrows, funerary monuments dating to the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, are known to have existed in the Salisbury Plain Training Area, many grouped together as cemeteries. The total includes some 70 barrows of rare types. Such is the quality of the survival of the archaeological landscape, over 300 of these barrows have been identified as nationally important.
Details
A group primarily of bowl barrows of varying size and one disc barrow. Partial excavations in the 19th century produced primary and secondary inhumations and cremations, suggesting the archaeologically sensitive area extends beyond the visible mounds. 1 - A bowl barrow with a deep ditch in the north-west quadrant, and an overall diameter of c.38m. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed one primary inhumation and ten secondary cremations. (SU22905147) 2 - A ditched bowl barrow, c.33m overall diameter. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed a number of cremations. (SU22945151) 3 - A ditched bowl barrow c.28m overall diameter. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed an empty cist. (SU22895155) 4 - A disc barrow with an overall diameter of c.46m (mound c.12m diameter, berm c.7m wide, ditch c.5m wide, bank c.5m wide). Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed an empty cist. (SU22975157) 5 - A bowl barrow with a surrounding ditch, c.45m overall diameter. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed an inhumation and secondary cremations. (SU23015154) 6 - A bowl barrow with traces of a ditch, c.31m overall diameter. The top of the mound has been destroyed by trenching and the ditch has been damaged by the military. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed a number of interments. (SU23045159) 7 - A bowl barrow c.24m overall diameter with no trace of a ditch. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed a number of cremations. (SU23055165) 8 - A bowl barrow c.15m overall diameter with no trace of a ditch. The barrow now has an irregular profile. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed an inhumation. (SU23085169) 9 - A bowl barrow with an overall diameter c.25m and no visible ditch. Partial excavation in the 19th century was described as "imperfect". (SU23105160) 10 - A bowl barrow, c.25m overall diameter with no trace of ditch. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed a cremation. (SU23155165) 11 - A low bowl or double barrow, reduced by ploughing but with a ditch just visible. The mound is now c.22m in diameter. Original overall diameter c.28m. Partial excavation in the 19th century was unproductive. (SU22745142) 12 - A bowl barrow reduced by ploughing but with ditch just visible. The overall diameter is 20m. Partial excavation in the 19th century was unproductive. (SU22785144) 13 - A bowl barrow reduced by ploughing but with traces of a ditch just visible. The overall diameter is c.21m. This barrow is now very difficult to see. Partial excavation in the 19th century revealed a crouched inhumation. (SU22815145) 14 - A small bowl barrow that contained ashes and charcoal. This barrow is not traceable on the ground. (SU22765142) 15 - A bowl or possibly a pond barrow, now not visible on the ground but c.10m overall diameter. (SU22835149) 16 - A probable bowl barrow c.12m diameter. This mound is now badly damaged by tracks and animals. (SU22895144)
MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 10067
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Other
Wiltshire Library & Museum Service, (1987)
Trust for Wessex Archaeology, (1987)
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.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 06-Jul-2026 at 23:44:50.
Download a full scale map (PDF)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.