Fox Howe round barrow

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.

Despite the limited disturbance on the top of the barrow caused by rabbit burrowing, Fox Howe round barrow has survived well. It has not been subject to any antiquarian excavation, which adds to the importance of the monument. Significant information about the original form of the barrow and the burial placed within it will be preserved. Evidence for earlier land use and the contemporary environment will also survive below the barrow mound.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow located at the junction of two forest tracks on level ground overlooking Little Gill, towards the southern edge of the Tabular Hills.

The barrow has a well-defined earth mound which measures 20m in diameter and stands 2.2m high. The barrow lies within a dense concentration of prehistoric burial monuments in an area which also includes the remains of prehistoric land division.

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:

34589

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Dalby Forest Survey, (1996)

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