Bowl barrow 420m north of Down Farm

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 barrow 420m north of Down Farm is well preserved and is a good example of its type. It will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow 420m north of Down Farm on Cotswold downland west of the village of Nettleton. The barrow lies on the line of a medieval headland which runs through the fields on a north-south alignment. The mound of the barrow is 29.1m in diameter, 1m high and is surrounded by a ditch 2m wide from which material was quarried during its construction. This has become infilled over the years and survives as a buried feature. The base of a pylon which impinges on 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:

31646

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Pugh, RB (ed), The Victoria History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume II, (1957), 184

End of official list entry

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