Two bowl barrows east of Dale Hole Plantation, 480m north of Pump House

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 two bowl barrows to the east of Dale Hole Plantation survive well. They will retain archaeological imformation concerning the construction and the manner and duration of the use of the barrows as well as their stratigraphic and chronological relationship to one another. Evidence for the local environment in the prehistoric period, will also be preserved in the upstanding earthworks, in soils buried beneath the mounds and in the fills of the surrounding ditches. The ground between the barrows will include other buried features relating to the barrows. The proximity of the barrow to a number of other barrows in this part of the Breckland region give them 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 two bowl barrows and the archaeologically sensitive ground between them, which are situated approximately 30m to the east of Dale Hole Plantation and are divided from it by the north-south A1065 Brandon road. The western of the two barrows is visible as an earthen mound, standing to a height of approximately 1.5m and is approximately 31m in diameter. It has a flat top and gently sloping sides. The second bowl barrow is situated over 20m to the east of the first on the crest of a south east facing hill. It is visible as a low earthen mound standing to a height of 0.75m, with a diameter of approximately 44m. It is thought both mounds are encircled by ditches, from which earth was quarried during the construction of the barrows, and although these have become completely infilled and are no longer visible they will survive as buried features approximately 3m in width. The fences surrounding the western barrow and the fence at the west edge of the eastern barrow are 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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

31096

Legacy System:

RSM

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