Bowl barrow 700m north west of High Lodge

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.

The bowl barrow 700m north west of High Lodge survives well and will retain 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 also be preserved in soils buried beneath the mound and in the fills of the buried ditch. The proximity of the barrow to a number of other barrows in this part of the Breckland region give it additional interest. Together these barrows give some evidence of the character, development and density of the prehistoric population in this area.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located on ground which slopes to the east, south and west, on the north east edge of a field and immediately to the south of Chestnut Court. The barrow is visible as an earthen mound, which stands to a height of approximately 1.9m and covers a roughly circular area measuring approximately 26m in diameter. It is thought that the mound is encircled by a ditch, with an estimated width of 3m, from which earth was quarried during the construction of the barrow. Although this has now become completely infilled and is no longer visible, it will survive as a buried feature. A depression on the north side of the mound is thought to be the result of an unrecorded archaeological investigation. The surface of the track to the north east of the monument is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it 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:

31100

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Skertchley, S B J, Mem Geol Survey in On the Manufacture of Gun-flints, (1879)

Other
NMR, Briscoe, G, On the Manufacture of Gun-flints, (1953)

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