Round barrow 600m south east of Sudmoor Cottage

Reasons for Designation

Round barrows 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 mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus of 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 examples recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of Britain, including the Wessex area where it is often possible to classify them more closely, for example as bowl or bell barrows. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation in 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 barrow 600m south east of Sudmoor Cottage is a particularly rare survival on the Isle of Wight given its unusual topographical and geological placement. It survives as a visible earthwork which will retain archaeological information pertaining to its construction and use. In addition the old land surface sealed beneath the mound is likely to contain environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which the barrow was placed.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated in a low-lying area of clay and gravel adjacent to a stream. The barrow has a mound up to 12m in diameter and 0.2m in height. Partial excavation in 1933 revealed that the core of the mound was comprised of burnt earth and charcoal, sealed beneath which the old land surface was visible as a black layer formed by decayed vegetation. The mound had been degraded by ploughing prior to excavation and the only finds, two pieces of grey ware pot bases and a bead-rim of sandy grey ware, all of which came from its upper surface and date to approximately the early first century AD, are thought to be the result of subsequent activity on the site. The pottery was similar to material recovered from a Romano-British settlement 250m to the south, excavated between 1933 and 1948 but subsequently destroyed through cliff erosion.

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:

33960

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Dunning, G C, Antiquaries Journal in Belgic Hut and Barrows in the Isle of Wight, Vol. 15, (1935), 355-358
Hookey, T P, Proc.Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society in The Romano-British Site at Sudmoor, Vol. 4, (1951), 214-216

Other
RCHME, UID 459516,
Isle of Wight County Council, Record Number 7, (1981)
Ordnance Survey, Antiquity Card for SZ 38 SE 4, (1967)

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