Ancient Monuments

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The Low bowl barrow

A Scheduled Monument in Elford, Staffordshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 52.6806 / 52°40'50"N

Longitude: -1.7145 / 1°42'52"W

OS Eastings: 419396.280021

OS Northings: 309246.035314

OS Grid: SK193092

Mapcode National: GBR 4DS.Z7B

Mapcode Global: WHCGQ.MWRC

Entry Name: The Low bowl barrow

Scheduled Date: 13 June 1968

Last Amended: 19 January 1993

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1008530

English Heritage Legacy ID: 22418

County: Staffordshire

Civil Parish: Elford

Traditional County: Staffordshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Staffordshire

Church of England Parish: Elford St Peter

Church of England Diocese: Lichfield

Details

The monument includes The Low bowl barrow located on a local high point 130m
north-west of Elfordlow Farm. It survives as a steep-sided oval earthen
mound, truncated on its western side by a road, and measures up to 2.3m high
with maximum dimensions of 20.5m by l9m. Limited investigation of the mound
located a cremation.

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

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 slight mutilation of the monument's profile and limited investigation,
The Low bowl barrow survives well. This investigation located human remains,
and further evidence of interments will exist within the mound and upon the
old landsurface.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Gunstone, A J H, 'North Staffs JFS' in An Archaeological Gazeteer of Staffs Pt 2, , Vol. 5, (1965), 37
Other
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)
To Snowdon C A (FMW), Hidderley, F (Site Owner), (1983)

Source: Historic England

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