Two bowl barrows on Roydon Common, 700m south west of Hall Farm

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 two barrows 700m south west of Hall Farm survive well in an area of undisturbed heathland. The mounds and the soils buried beneath them will contain archaeological information concerning the construction and the manner and duration of use of the barrows, and will also preserve evidence of the local environment at that time. They have additional interest in relation to the third barrow c.70m to the west, and to other barrows within the same locality which, as a group, have a broader significance for the study of the character and distribution of the prehistoric population of the area.

Details

The monument includes two bowl barrows located on a slight, undulating slope above a south facing scarp which overlooks the minor road between Rising Lodge and Roydon. The barrows lie c.20m apart on a north-south alignment and are visible as roughly circular earthen mounds. The northern mound, constructed on a small natural knoll, is c.1m in height and covers an area c.20m in diameter. The second mound, to the south, stands on the edge of the scarp and has approximately the same dimensions. It is probable that each of the mounds is encircled by a ditch from which earth was dug and used in the construction of the barrow, although these have become infilled and can no longer be traced on the ground surface. They will, however, survive as buried features. The two barrows are associated with a third, which lies c.70m to the west and is the subject of a separate scheduling.

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:

21356

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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