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.
Despite some disturbance by tree-root action, the bowl barrow and part of a
later boundary bank, in the northern part of West Wood, 600m west of
Mockbeggar Farm survive well and will contain archaeological remains and
environmental evidence relating to their construction and the landscape in
which they were situated. The barrow forms part of a widely dispersed group of
at least seven bowl barrows of broadly contemporary date on this part of the
Kent Downs, which are the subjects of separate schedulings, providing evidence
for the importance of this area for burial practices during the prehistoric
period. The section of boundary bank which crosses the barrow belongs to a
wider complex of banks, ditches and trackways which represent the subsequent
land use patterns across the Downs during the medieval and post-medieval
periods.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow, and part of a later boundary feature,
situated on a clay-capped, chalk hill which forms part of the Kent Downs. The
barrow has a circular mound approximately 20m in diameter and up to about 1m
high, surrounded by a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow
was excavated. This has become infilled over the years, but survives as a
buried feature about 3m wide.
The south eastern side of the encircling ditch is crossed by part of a low,
linear boundary bank which measures about 2.5m wide and 0.3m high. The north
east-south west aligned earthwork, which continues beyond the area of
protection, forms part of a series of banks and ditches within West Wood.
These are thought to represent the remains of former land use patterns of
medieval or post-medieval date.
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.
