Details

The monument includes a round barrow cemetery comprising four bowl barrows and
two fancy barrows set on a west facing slope in an area of chalk downland.
The bowl barrow mounds have diameters of between 7m and 23m, and range from
0.6m to 2.3m in height. Surrounding each mound is a ditch from which material
was quarried during its construction. The ditches of two of the bowl barrows
have become partially infilled over the years but can be seen as slight
depressions 4.3m wide and between 0.5 and 1m deep. The ditches of the other
two bowl barrows have become completely infilled and can no longer be seen at
ground level but survive as a buried feature c.2m wide.
Of the two fancy barrows, one is visible and one survives only as buried
remains. The fancy barrow which is extant has a central mound 14m in diameter
and 0.7m high. Surrounding the mound is a ditch c.4m wide and 0.7m deep, and
an outer bank 4m wide and 0.7m high. The second fancy barrow, to the north of
the extant barrows, can no longer be seen on the ground, but survives as
buried remains and is clearly visible on air photographs. It is of similar
dimensions to the extant fancy barrow.
Two of the bowl barrows and the extant fancy barrow have central depressions
indicating unrecorded antiquarian excavation.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. 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. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

Despite partial excavation of three of the six barrows, the round barrow
cemetery on Brighstone Down survives well and will contain archaeological
remains and environmental evidence relating to the cemetery and the landscape
in which it was constructed. These barrows are amongst a number which survive
in the Brighstone Forest area of Brighstone Down.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
'Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc' in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, (1940), 204
'Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Soc' in Proceedings of the I.O.W. Nat History and Archaeological Society, (1940), 204

Source: Historic England