Bowl barrow on Weavers Down, 850m NNE of Wylds 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 on Weavers Down situated 850m NNE of Wylds Farm survives well despite some later disturbance and has been demonstrated by partial excavation to retain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the environment in which it was 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 bowl barrow of Late Neolithic or Bronze Age date, prominently situated within Woolmer Forest on a high sandy promontory on Weavers Down, commanding extensive views to the south and west. It is one of a large number of isolated barrows, barrow groups and round barrow cemeteries located in and around Woolmer Forest, some of which are the subject of separate schedulings. The barrow is surrounded by a later tree ring of partially collapsed drystone walling and has been clipped on all sides by heavy vehicle tracks associated with the modern use of the area as a military training ground. It survives in good condition, however, as a circular, flat-topped mound, 23m in diameter and approximately 2m high. The mound and tree ring are surrounded by a partly infilled quarry ditch, 3m wide, from which material would have been obtained for the mound's construction. The barrow was reportedly partially excavated in 1883 by Reverend Cardew, who recovered fragments of a hollowed tree trunk coffin containing human hair and probable fragments of animal skin clothing. Further buried remains associated with the original construction and use of the monument can also be expected to survive beneath the mound and within the ditch fill. The shelter erected on the monument and the walling 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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

34150

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club in Hampshire Barrows, Vol. 14, (1940), 354
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club in Hampshire Barrows, Vol. 14, (1939), 195
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society in Hampshire Barrows, Vol. 7, (1941), 104

End of official list entry

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