Round barrow 200m north west of High Park Farm

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 levelling by ploughing, the round barrow 200m north west of High Park Farm has surviving archaeological deposits which will preserve significant information about its date and original form. Important environmental evidence which can be used to determine the contemporary environment will also survive within the buried ditch. The barrow was originally one of a pair, situated in an area which has many other prehistoric burial monuments, as well as a complex network of prehistoric land boundaries. Associated groups of monuments such as these offer important scope for the study of the distribution and development of human activity across the landscape throughout the prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow which is situated on level ground on the southern slopes of the Tabular Hills. The barrow originally had a sub-circular mound constructed of earth and stone, which had a diameter of 22m. The mound was surrounded by a ditch up to 3m wide. Over the years, ploughing has levelled the barrow mound and filled in the surrounding ditch so that they are no longer visible as earthworks. However, the ditch survives below the ground surface as a subsoil feature and this can be seen as a cropmark on aerial photographs. The barrow lies close to the prehistoric linear boundary known as the Scamridge Dikes, in an area which also includes many other prehistoric burial monuments.

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:

35446

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Pacitto, A L, AM107, (1988)
AJC 002/22, (1983)

End of official list entry

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