Bowl Barrow South of Coombe Plantation

Summary

A round barrow dating to the Bronze Age and part of a wider funerary landscape.

Reasons for Designation

The bowl barrow south of Coombe Plantation is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: the barrow has been protected by scrub during the C20 and therefore survives reasonably well;
* Fragility/vulnerability: the scrub which had protected the barrow has been cleared and the barrow is vulnerable to damage;
* Potential: there are no obvious signs of excavation so that the archaeological potential is considered to be good;
* Group value: the barrow is part of a larger funerary landscape with contemporary and later Anglo-Saxon barrows.

History

The bowl barrow south of Coombe Plantation stands alone, but is part of a wider funerary landscape on this eastern part of the South Downs. 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 approximately 30,000 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.

The bowl barrow south of Coombe Plantation is one of the lowest lying barrows in a wider funerary landscape. This landscape includes a group of four barrows, under consideration for designation, about 160m to the N of the Coombe Plantation barrow. In addition, in the immediate vicinity, there is a bowl barrow 242m to the NW (NHLE 1008051) and another 235m to the SW (NHLE 1009612). The wider funerary landscape comprises over 20 known and suspected Bronze Age barrows, some of which are scheduled, stretching westwards upslope to the top of the ridge and beyond. A further element in the immediate landscape is an Anglo-Saxon barrow field comprising 13 small barrows containing burials (NHLE 1009101). This barrow field lies about 166m to the E of the bowl barrow under consideration.

The barrow is not recorded on the modern Ordnance Survey map, but is depicted on the Pre-War County Series Historic Ordnance Survey Mapping, Sussex 1874 (1:10560). The barrow was also recorded by Leslie Grinsell (a renowned expert on Bronze Age barrows) in 1934 and had been the subject of comment by the Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigator in 1952.

Details

SUMMARY OF MONUMENT: a bowl barrow dating to the Bronze Age and part of a wider funerary landscape.

DESCRIPTION: the Bronze Age bowl barrow south of Coombe Plantation is situated at the head of an E facing coombe set apart from other barrows to the N, NW and SW as noted in the history. Although somewhat irregular in shape it is 10m in diameter and stands to 0.3m high. No ditch was observed but will be present as the quarry from which the mound was constructed. It will survive as a buried feature about 3m wide and will contain archaeological information and environmental evidence relating to the barrow and the landscape in which it was constructed. The barrow survives reasonably well with no evidence of earlier excavation and so will retain the archaeological potential for providing further evidence about the Bronze Age in this part of East Sussex and in a national context.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: the scheduling aims to protect the full known extent of the barrow including the mound and the surrounding ditch. Also included is a margin of 3m for the support and maintenance of the monument. The maximum diameter of the area of protection is about 22m.

Sources

Other
East Sussex HER record MES1504,

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