Henge, round barrow cemeteries and enclosure cropmarks 510m south-west of St Mary's Church

Summary

Cropmarks of a Neolithic henge, Bronze Age round barrow cemeteries and Iron Age or Romano-British enclosures 510m south-west of St Mary’s Church, Little Bromley.

Reasons for Designation

The Henge, Round Barrow Cemeteries and Enclosures 510m south-west of St Mary's Church, at Little Bromley are scheduled for the following principal reasons: 

Survival:

* the henge, round barrow cemeteries and enclosures are visible as a clearly defined group of crop marks.

Potential:

* for the buried archaeological deposits which retain considerable potential to provide evidence relating to social organisation and demographics, cultural associations, human development, disease, diet, and death rituals. Buried environmental evidence can also inform us about the landscape in which the henge, barrows and enclosures were constructed.

Period:

* as examples of the small number of monument types dating to the prehistoric period, the henge and barrows are highly representative of their period.

Diversity:

* the proximity and relationship between the henge, round barrow cemeteries and enclosures provides evidence of the continuity in use of the site as a ritual focus into the Bronze Age, adding chronological depth to the monument.

Rarity:

* as an example of two monument types which are rare nationally and one of very few monument types to offer insight into the lives and deaths of early prehistoric communities in this country.

History

Henges are a type of Neolithic monument generally found in downland landscapes and river valleys, often close to springs and watercourses, and their physical associations with water may have had a symbolic resonance. They were built from about 3,000BC but most date to the late Neolithic (2,800-2,000 BC). Henges are circular monuments usually consisting of an earthwork bank and internal ditch, although the type was named after Stonehenge, which has an external ditch enclosing a bank. Henges vary considerably in size (up to 110m in diameter) and usually have one or two entrances. A few, however, are larger; irregular in shape and may have several entrances. Finds and deposits from the ditches and interiors of henges provide important evidence for the chronological development of the sites, the types of activity that occurred within them and the nature of the environment in which they were constructed. They may have contained a variety of features including timber or stone circles, post or stone alignments, pits, burials or central mounds, although some of these features may be the result of later reuse or adaption. They are interpreted as places where communities who lived rather mobile lives gathered periodically for meetings and ceremonies of various kinds. A number of henges were reused in later periods, sometimes maintaining a ceremonial or ritual use, or adapted to new uses. Henges occur throughout England and most are now identified by aerial survey, having been levelled by ploughing.

The main period of round barrow construction occurred in the early Bronze Age between about 2200-1500 BC (a period during which cremation succeeded inhumation as the primary burial rite), although Neolithic examples are known from as early as 3000 BC. In general, round barrows comprise a rounded earthen mound or stone cairn, the earthen examples usually having a surrounding ditch and occasionally an outer bank. They range greatly in size from just 5m in diameter to as much as 40m, with the mounds ranging from slight rises to as much as 4m in height. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Barrow cemeteries comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex.

The henge, representing a ritual site of the Neolithic period, is likely to be the earliest element of the cropmark complex. A round barrow cemetery developed around the henge and another along both sides of the watercourse in the Bronze Age. It is possible that the henge was still visible as a monument and retained some significance at that time and became the focus for the cemetery’s location. The cropmarks of the henge and ring ditches sit within a wider complex of rectilinear enclosures and a possible trackway. These cropmarks extend beyond the assessed area. The phasing of the enclosure cropmarks is uncertain but from their form they are likely to be of Iron Age or Romano-British date relating to fields and possible settlement activity.

Some of the enclosure ditch cropmarks cut across the henge, suggesting that the henge may have been largely or completely levelled by the Iron Age to Roman period. The enclosure ditches appear to mostly respect the position of the ring ditch cropmarks, indicating that at least some of the round barrows may still have been present as earthworks when the enclosures were laid out.

The Neolithic henge, Bronze Age round barrows and Iron Age or Romano-British enclosures 510m south-west of St Mary’s Church were identified as cropmarks and soilmark features in 1950 through Aerial Photography (AP). The site was in arable cultivation in the 1930s as shown on the First Land Utilisation Survey. Since 2005 it has been managed as improved pasture. North-west of the henge along Barlon Road historic quarrying has taken place.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the Neolithic henge, Bronze Age round barrow cemeteries and Iron Age or Roman field enclosures and trackway are situated in open fields to the south-east of Barlon Road and north-west of Badley Hall Road with a small watercourse intersecting the area. To the north-west of Barlon Road is an Iron Age or Roman enclosure. The cropmarks are spread over two areas either side of the watercourse, one to the north-east and a smaller area to the south-west.

DESCRIPTION: the features survive as archaeology revealed through cropmarks and soilmarks and are clearly visible on AP. The 2019 Lidar imagery shows that the henge is almost entirely levelled but the local relief model does highlight the area of the henge. This suggests that a very subtle earthwork of the henge survive.

The henge is a circular enclosure interrupted by two causeways to the north-west and south-east which are around 2.5m wide. The ditch termini at the south-east entrance are wide and rounded, whereas the north-east side appear squarer. The ditches are broad and measure from 8m to 10m wide and the internal diameter of the henge is approximately 23m across. It has been suggested from some AP that a mill cross-arm was visible, however the henge is bisected by an enclosure and it is possible that this has complicated the interpretation.

Around 90m to the south-east of the henge is a group of ring ditches of varying size. The largest of the ring ditches measures around 21m across and is broadly aligned with the south-east entrance of the henge. These are likely the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery.

Further to the south-east and roughly 370m from the henge is a cluster of ring ditches. The largest of the ring ditches is approximately 30m across, with broad ditches measuring between 5m to 7m wide and it is in rough alignment with the henge. To the north-west of the larger ring ditch are the remains of post medieval sand and gravel pits which are visible as cropmarks.

Approximately 400m to the south-west of the henge and across a watercourse is another group of ring ditches of varying size. One of the ring ditches was excavated in 1964 and a collared urn containing two cremations were found. It is likely that these ring ditches are the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery. This group lies 435m to the south-west of the cemetery opposite and it is possible there was inter-visibility between them. Three linear ditches run parallel to each other through the cemetery but appear to respect the ring ditches, this suggests that the ditches are a later phase.

The ring ditches within the assessment area range in diameter from approximately 6m to 30m. All are formed by a single circuit of ditch with no internal bank visible. The majority are circular, one is sub-square.

Roughly 80m north-west from the henge is an Iron Age/ Romano British square enclosure. The enclosure is formed by a single ditch and measures approximately 33m by 32m. An entrance is located on the south-west side. There is a small ring ditch located within the enclosure, which measures 6m in diameter. It is possible that this could be the remains of a round house, given its small size and location or the ring ditch could be another round barrow. Along the south-east boundary of Barlon Road are post medieval sand and gravel pits which are visible as cropmarks.

Part of a rectilinear system of small fields and a trackway lie within the same area but are of a later date. Some of these features overlie one another suggesting multiple phases of construction. The boundaries are formed by a single ditch, the trackways are defined by parallel ditches. All these survive as buried features producing cropmarks which have been recorded by means of aerial photography.

Archaeological deposits will be preserved in the in the fills of the ditches. If scientifically analysed these are likely to provide important information concerning the dating and construction of the monuments and the sequence of activity across the site. The same deposits may also retain environmental evidence illustrating the nature of the contemporary landscape in which the monuments were constructed.

EXCLUSIONS: The two electricity pylons are excluded from the larger scheduling, together with the garage and boundary wall to Barlon House, all road and track surfaces and all fences, although the ground beneath all these features is included.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: the scheduled monument covers two areas, one larger area to the north-east and another smaller area to the south-west. The larger area extends from Badley Hall Road north to roughly 80m north-west of Barlon Road. The smaller south-western area is located on the opposite side of a watercourse and is roughly 75m by 205m and broadly rectangular in shape. The area is located in an open field with the east corner within a paddock relating to Badley Hall Farm. The extent of scheduling includes a 5m wide buffer zone around its outer edge to support the preservation of the monument.

Sources

Books and journals
Harding, A.F., Lee, G.E., Henge Monuments and Related Sites of Great Britain, BAR British Series 175, (1987), 150 - 152
Wilson, D, Air Photo Interpretation for Achaeologists, (200)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.