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 three bowl barrows situated 230m north of the Sewage Works at Longmoor
Camp survive reasonably well despite some later disturbance and can be
expected to retain archaeological remains and environmental evidence
relating to the barrows and the environment in which they were constructed.
The monument is closely associated with a number of other round barrow
cemeteries and barrow groups within the area of Woolmer Forest which together
constitute a particularly well-preserved ritual landscape of the Late
Neolithic and Bronze Age periods.
Details
The monument includes a group of three bowl barrows of Late Neolithic or
Bronze Age date situated within Woolmer Forest on a low sandy ridge that
extends alongside the A3, immediately north east of Longmoor Camp. The two
largest barrows are aligned ENE-WSW along the ridge, approximately 130m apart,
while the third is a probable barrow situated approximately 20m to the north.
They form one of a large number of similar barrow groups, barrow cemeteries or
isolated barrows located in and around Woolmer Forest, some of which are the
subject of separate schedulings.
The barrows survive in reasonably good condition although all three have been
damaged by the later excavation of slit trenches across them or are rutted by
heavy vehicle tracks associated with the modern use of the area as a military
training ground. The eastern barrow is also deeply hollowed on the southern
side, possibly as a result of the discharge of military ordnance. The two
largest barrows survive, however, as roughly circular, flat-topped mounds,
approximately 23m in diameter and ranging from 1.4m to 2m in height. The
probable bowl barrow to the north is comparatively small, but survives as an
irregularly circular shaped mound, 12m in diameter and 0.4m high. The eastern
barrow is surrounded by a partly infilled surrounding ditch, 3m wide and 0.3m
deep, from which material would have been obtained for the mound's
construction. Similar ditches may be expected to survive as buried features
around the other two barrows, now infilled by the later use of the monument.
Further archaeological remains associated with the original construction and
use of the barrows, including burials, grave pits, burial goods, and the
original ground surface can also be expected to survive as buried features
beneath and between the mounds.
The Ministry of Defence marker stars situated on the monument 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.
