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Two bowl barrows 180m south east of Haresdown Barn

A Scheduled Monument in Rodmarton, Gloucestershire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.6752 / 51°40'30"N

Longitude: -2.0667 / 2°4'0"W

OS Eastings: 395485.247275

OS Northings: 197381.472773

OS Grid: ST954973

Mapcode National: GBR 2PW.SDG

Mapcode Global: VHB2W.4594

Entry Name: Two bowl barrows 180m south east of Haresdown Barn

Scheduled Date: 19 January 1949

Last Amended: 8 June 1994

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1008796

English Heritage Legacy ID: 22897

County: Gloucestershire

Civil Parish: Rodmarton

Built-Up Area: Kemble Airfield

Traditional County: Gloucestershire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Gloucestershire

Church of England Parish: Rodmarton St Peter

Church of England Diocese: Gloucester

Details

The monument includes two bowl barrows orientated from north east to
south west and situated on a ridge with panoramic views in an area of the
Cotswold Hills.
The western barrow has a mound composed of small stones; it has a maximum
diameter of 15m and is c.0.25m high. This barrow is likely to have been
partially excavated by J Akerman and J Chubb in 1856. A central burial
containing charcoal, urn fragments, calcined human bones and a splinter of
flint was identified. Later activity at the site is indicated by the presence
of a damaged denarius of Alexander Severus (a Roman coin dating from AD
222-235).
The eastern barrow was recorded by M Crook in 1925 and has a mound composed
of small stones; this mound is 10m across and c.0.15m high. Both barrows are
surrounded by ditches from which material was quarried during their
construction. These have become infilled over the years, but survive as buried
features c.2m wide.

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.

The two bowl barrows 180m south east of Haresdown Barn survive comparatively
well and are known from partial excavations to contain archaeological and
environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it
was constructed.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
O`Neil, H E, Grinsell, L V, 'Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Arch Society' in Gloucestershire Barrows, , Vol. 179, (1959), 128
Other
Details of 1856 excavation,
Details of central burial,
Find of Roman coin,
Mention of observation by M Crooke,

Source: Historic England

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