Bowl barrow on Ashley Down Plantation, 1000m south west of Forest of Bere Farm

Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

Bowl barrows are the most numerous form of round barrow and date from the Late
Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the
period 2400-1500 BC.
The bowl barrow on Ashley Down Plantation, 1000m south west of Forest of Bere
Farm survives well and, along with the other barrows, can be expected to
retain important archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to
the cemetery and the environment in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow inconspicuously situated on the flank of a
high chalk ridge which projects to the west from Farley Mount. It lies
approximately 100m downslope from a false brow of the ridge, at the toe of a
slight spur projecting to the north west. The bowl barrow forms part of a
round barrow cemetery of probable Bronze Age date (2000-700 BC). Six
additional barrows which also form part of the cemetery, situated 70m to the
north west and 150m to the east, are the subject of separate schedulings.
The bowl barrow includes a well defined circular mound, 22m in diameter and
raised up to 2m on the downslope side, surrounded by traces of a shallow
quarry ditch, 5m wide. The top of the barrow is flattened, indicating later
excavation, and the surrounding ditch is partly infilled where it is clipped
by a later hollow way and bank to the south west, and where it is crossed by
modern fences to the north east. Buried remains associated with the original
construction and use of the monument, however, including the original ground
surface, ditch fills, burials, grave pits and grave goods, can be expected to
survive.
All fence posts 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.
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:

34135

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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