Bowl barrow and associated mound in Old Fen, 450m south east of Mill 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 bowl barrow and associated, underlying mound in Old Fen survive well. The earthen mounds and the fill of the surrounding ditch will retain archaeological information concerning their construction, the duration and manner of their use, and the chronological, structural and functional relationship between them. Evidence for the local environment prior to and during that time will also be preserved in the buried soil beneath the mound and in the ditch fill. The monument lies c.360m north east of another bowl barrow and the two are among a small number of round barrows sited near the low escarpment of the Greensand Belt, overlooking the eastern edge of the Fens and the marshes bordering the Wash to the west. As a group, these barrows provide some evidence for the character and density of prehistoric settlement in the area.

Details

The monument, which is located on level ground on the southern side of the valley of Babingley River, includes the composite earthwork of a bowl barrow and a contiguous low mound, considered to be the remains of an earlier, smaller barrow. The bowl barrow is visible as an earthen mound covering a circular area c.17m in diameter and standing to a height of c.1.5m. It overlaps and incorporates part of the smaller mound, which extends c.9m beyond it on the north side and measures c.0.5m in height and c.13m across east-west. The two mounds, which together are ovoid in plan, tapering towards the northern end, are surrounded by a ditch which has become infilled and is no longer visible, although it will survive as a buried feature c.3m wide. The overall dimensions of the two mounds and the ditch are 23m east-west by 32m north-south.

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:

21331

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Schwabe, P K L, 3299 West Norfolk, Castle Rising, (1937)
Schwabe, P L K, 3299: West Norfolk, Castle Rising, (1937)

End of official list entry

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