Bowl barrow in the garden of The Old Mill

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.

Although the bowl barrow in the garden of The Old Mill has undergone minimal excavation, most of the barrow has been left undisturbed and will therefore retain further archaeological information concerning its construction and the manner and duration of its use. Evidence for the local environment prior to and during that time will be also preserved, in soils buried beneath the mound and in the fills of the buried ditch. The barrow is the only survivor of a cluster of at least six which originally existed to the north and west. The proximity of the barrow to this group, as well as a number of other barrows in this part of the Breckland region give it additional interest. Together they give some evidence of the character, development and density of the prehistoric population in this area.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow, which is located on a triangle of land to the west of the crossroads, at the south west end of Barnham and approximately 50m to the north east of a windmill built in 1821. The barrow is visible as an earthen mound, which stands to a height of about 1.6m and covers a roughly circular area with a maximum diameter of about 30m. The surrounding ground surface slopes gently to the north. Slight hollows on the north and south sides of the mound are thought to be the result of an investigation into the mound, carried out by A.R.Edwardson who excavated a 11m by 3m trench across the mound in 1957. This demonstrated that it was built up of turves with a capping of sand. A primary burial, taking the form of a contracted inhumation accompanied by a pygmy cup, was excavated from the centre of the mound. It is thought that the mound is encircled by a ditch 3m wide, which has been infilled and survives as a buried feature. The garage, which cuts into the south east corner of the mound, the surface of the driveway to the south and the fence to the north are all excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

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:

31098

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Edwardson, A R, Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology in A Bronze Age Burial at Barnham, Vol. 27, (1957), 186-190

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