Bowl barrow in The Belt, 1.1km north west of High House Farm

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.

The bowl barrow and boundary in The Belt plantation, 1.1km north west of High House Farm, survive well as a series of earthwork and buried remains. Evidence for their construction, date, and also the local environment at that time will be contained in, and sealed beneath, the artificially raised ground and in the fill of the ditch. As one of a wider group, which together form an area cemetery, the barrow will contribute to an understanding of the character and development of prehistoric society. The boundary is evidence of later land use and boundaries were sometimes laid out using barrows as markers.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located in The Belt plantation, adjacent to the Weasenham to Wellingham Road, 1.1km north west of High House Farm. The barrow is situated on former heathland in the Good Sands upland region of north west Norfolk. It is one of a wider, dispersed group of round barrows aligned approximately east-west over a distance of about 2.5km, and others of the group are the subject of separate schedulings. The bowl barrow is visible as a mound measuring 18m in diameter and standing up to 1m high. A hollow, measuring 3m in width and 0.8m deep, lies at the south west edge of the mound. A linear boundary, depicted on 19th century and earlier maps, lies immediately adjacent to the north edge of the mound. The boundary, aligned east-west, is marked by a partly infilled ditch, measuring 3m in width and 0.4m deep, bordered by a bank, 2m wide and 0.2m high, on the north side. The boundary may be of medieval or early post-medieval origin and a length of the ditch and bank adjacent to the barrow is included in the scheduling.

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:

35056

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: (photcopy of) Weasenham map, c1600?, FX 269/1 Source Date: Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Weasenham All Saints Tithe Apportionment and Map, DN/TA 350 Source Date: 1840 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:

End of official list entry

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