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Latitude: 53.248 / 53°14'52"N
Longitude: -2.2911 / 2°17'27"W
OS Eastings: 380673.701296
OS Northings: 372365.8409
OS Grid: SJ806723
Mapcode National: GBR DZFW.SD
Mapcode Global: WH99G.SM6D
Entry Name: Two bowl barrows 390m and 320m south-south-west of Home Farm
Scheduled Date: 20 October 1993
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1007387
English Heritage Legacy ID: 22586
County: Cheshire East
Civil Parish: Lower Withington
Traditional County: Cheshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Cheshire
Church of England Parish: Chelford St John the Evangelist
Church of England Diocese: Chester
The monument includes two bowl barrows located on flat land 390m and 320m
south-south-west of Home Farm. The southern barrow is an earthen mound 35m in
diameter and up to 0.75m high. The northern barrow is a turf and sand mound
35m in diameter and up to 0.5m high. Limited excavation of the northern barrow
during the 1970's located the primary burial which included a cremation of a
teenage woman. The body was cremated and the larger bones broken and placed in
a leather container. This was placed in a pit and covered with a square of
turf, which in turn was covered with a layer of sand and gravel, and then
charcoal.
The mound was then built over this. A date of c.1900 BC was derived from the
associated charcoal by radio-carbon dating. There were also 2 or 3 secondary
cremations. These included 2 cremations in pits, and a shallow scoop 20cm from
the primary pit which contained cremated bone and 2 teeth. The earliest of
these secondary cremations was dated to c.1700 BC. Finds included flint
artefacts recovered throughout the excavation, and a copper rivet from the
primary burial. Evidence for flat burials outside the perimeter of the barrows
came from a pit 2m long and 0.4m deep adjacent to the northern barrow which
contained fragments of an inhumation.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 5 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.
Source: Historic England
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 spreading of the monument by ploughing, the bowl barrows 390m and 320m
south-south-west of Home Farm survive reasonably well. Limited excavation of
the northern barrow located human remains together with flint, metal and
leather artefacts, and further evidence of interments and grave goods will
exist within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath. The southern
barrow is not known to have been excavated and will contain undisturbed
archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath.
Additionally the monument is a rare example in Cheshire where flat burials are
known to be located outside the perimeter of the burial mounds.
Source: Historic England
Books and journals
Wilson, D, 'CAB' in , , Vol. 6, (1978), 66-8
Other
Darvill, T, MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Bowl Barrows,
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)
Source: Historic England
Other nearby scheduled monuments