Round barrow 570m north of Winterfield House

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 majority of round barrows in the region were dug into by 19th century antiquarians in search of burials and artifacts, leaving behind a central depression as evidence of their work. The round barrow 570m north of Winterfield House appears to have escaped undisturbed and is remarkably well-preserved.

Details

The monument includes earthwork and associated buried remains of a prehistoric burial mound sited on high ground 570m north of Winterfield House. A second larger round barrow, the subject of a separate scheduling, lies 530m to the WSW.

The round barrow is 20m in diameter and 2.5m high. Around its lower slopes there are quantities of stones and boulders, at least some of which is thought to be clearance from the surrounding arable field, although some are considered to be part of the original make up of the mound. There are no records of any archaeological excavations of the barrow and no evidence of any unrecorded disturbance. The barrow is prominent, although not quite as prominent as the barrow further to the west.

Although there are no obvious indications of an encircling ditch, excavation of other examples of round barrows in the region have shown that even where no encircling depression is discernible on the modern ground surface, ditches immediately around the outside of the mound frequently survive as infilled features, containing additional archaeological deposits. A margin to allow for such an infilled ditch up to 3m wide is thus also included within the monument.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 5 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:

34738

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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