Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the crest of a natural rise in
the Greensand; it is the northernmost of a group of at least four bowl
barrows in Godstone, the remains of only three of which now survive. The
monument has a central mound 33m east-west by 25m north-south which
stands to a height of 2.2m. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which
material was quarried for the construction of the monument. This has become
partially infilled over the years but is still visible as an earthwork feature
3.5m wide and 0.3m deep. The northern edge of the mound along with the ditch
no longer survive as they have been quarried away by sand extraction.
The mound was re-used as the site of a windmill for at least two hundred
years. The most recent mill is known to have been built in c.1810 and
demolished in c.1890.
Excluded from the scheduling are the fences and fence posts which run across
the northern and eastern edges of the mound, however the ground beneath these
is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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 damage and disturbance caused by the re-use of the mound as a windmill
tump, the bowl barrow at the north end of Hilly Field survives comparatively
well in a good and fairly stable condition. It contains archaeological remains
and environmental evidence and, as part of a group of at least three bowl
barrows, contributes to a detailed picture of settlement and land use in the
area during the Bronze Age period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Lambert, U, Godstone a parish history, (1929)
Grinsell, L V, 'Surrey Archaeological Collections' in An Analysis And List Of Surrey Barrows, , Vol. 42, (1934), 53
Other
Ketteringham, L, AM12, (1979)

Source: Historic England