Bowl barrow 840m south east of Forestry Lodge

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.

Moots were open-air meeting places set aside for use by courts and other bodies who were responsible for the administration and organisation of the countryside in Anglo-Saxon and medieval England. They were located at convenient, conspicuous or well known sites, often centrally placed within the area under jurisdiction, usually a hundred, wapentake or shire. The meeting place could take several forms: a natural feature, existing man-made features, such as barrows or hillforts, or a purpose-built monument.

The bowl barrow 840m south east of Forestry Lodge survives well as a series of earthwork and buried remains. Limited excavation has demonstrated the presence of human remains and artefacts within the mound which will preserve further archaeological information concerning its construction and date. In addition, evidence for the local environment at the time of construction will be contained in buried soils beneath the mound. It is associated with a further round barrow and will contribute to an understanding of the character and development of the prehistoric landscape. The identification of the barrows with a moot gives the monument added interest and importance.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located on a north west facing slope, 840m south east of Forestry Lodge. The barrow, one of a group recorded in the area in the mid-18th century, is situated in the northern part of the Breckland region of south west Norfolk. Another round barrow lies approximately 350m to the south west and is the subject of a separate scheduling.

The barrow is visible as an earthen mound measuring approximately 30m in diameter and standing 1.2m high. Limited excavations, undertaken in 1963, revealed a flexed inhumation of a male, aged about 45 years. A copper alloy dagger was found with the burial and is thought to date to about 1500 BC.

The barrows have been identified as the meeting place, or moot, of the South Greenhoe Hundred.

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:

35072

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Lawson, A J, East Anglian Archaeology in Barrow Excavations In Norfolk, 1950-82, (1986), 106-107
Lawson, A J, East Anglian Archaeology in Barrow Excavations In Norfolk, 1950-82, (1986), 106-107

Other
Norfolk SMR, NF2688, (2002)

End of official list entry

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