Three bell barrows and a bowl barrow, 205m and 270m north west of Great Ervills 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.

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 which covered single or multiple burials. There are over 10,000 surviving examples recorded nationally.

The three bell barrows and a bowl barrow, 205m and 270m north west of Great Ervills Farm, survive well, despite some disturbance to one of the group due to later farming activities, and can be expected to retain important archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the barrows and the landscape in which they were constructed.

Details

The monument, which falls within two areas of protection, includes three prominent bell barrows and a bowl barrow of late Neolithic or Bronze Age date located on a slight south facing spur at Great Ervills Farm. The barrows form two closely spaced or confluent pairs lying approximately 25m apart on and around the toe of the spur.

The northern pair includes two large, roughly circular, bell barrows which are joined near the base to form a twin barrow, aligned along the crest of the spur, with a slight trace of a common surrounding ditch around the eastern side. Both barrow mounds are steep sided, 2.5m high and up to 34m in diameter, and include surrounding berms up to 8m wide. The area beyond the fence which runs to the west of these barrows, has been ploughed to a level below the original ground surface and is not included in the scheduling.

The southern pair includes another conspicuous bell barrow, 3m high and approximately 33m in diameter, also with a surrounding berm. Immediately beside it to the north east, the other barrow of the pair survives as a slightly raised, irregularly oval shaped mound, 30m in diameter and up to 0.25m high. It was originally recorded as a bowl barrow, 28m in diameter and 2m high, but was partly bulldozed during the 1950s to fill a nearby chalk pit. Although now partly removed, the original ground surface and the primary burial can be expected to survive as buried features, as can surrounding ditches around both of the southern barrows, now infilled by the later use of the area for farming.

The fences that cross the monument 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:

32551

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club in Hampshire Barrows, Vol. 14, (1938), 359

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