Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Although a wartime trench has been dug into Pole Hill bowl barrow, the greater
part of the monument survives well and will retain important archaeological
information. Evidence concerning the construction of the barrow, the manner
and duration of its use, and also the local environment, at and prior to the
time of its construction, will be contained in the mound and in the soils
preserved beneath it. The barrow is one of a large group recorded in the
parishes of Martlesham, Brightwell and Foxhall, including a small cemetery
consisting of six barrows of varied type which lay between 300m and 500m to
the north east and which were excavated in 1953. Together, these will provide
evidence of the nature and extent of Bronze Age activities in the area.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Gilyard Beer, R, Devil's Ring, Brightwell Heath, (1984), 247-278
Other
FXL 004,

Source: Historic England