Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow on Great Plantation, 600m north east of Woodside (1015344)

Summary of Monument Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details. 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. Despite some reduction by military tanks, the bowl barrow on Great Plantation, 600m north east of Woodside survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. History Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details. Details The monument includes a bowl barrow situated within a terrace of a south facing slope, overlooking the Frome Valley. The barrow has a mound composed of earth, sand and turf, with maximum dimensions of 15m in diameter and c.0.8m in height. The mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. The ditch is visible as an earthwork with maximum dimensions of 2m in width and c.0.3m in depth. Excluded from the scheduling is a metal sign post, although the underlying ground is included.

Record last edited

Oct 11 2024 1:33PM