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Bowl barrow 170m north of The Low

A Scheduled Monument in Fawfieldhead, Staffordshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.164 / 53°9'50"N

Longitude: -1.8682 / 1°52'5"W

OS Eastings: 408908.165977

OS Northings: 362992.593321

OS Grid: SK089629

Mapcode National: GBR 35G.NHP

Mapcode Global: WHCDB.8QMS

Entry Name: Bowl barrow 170m north of The Low

Scheduled Date: 16 November 1965

Last Amended: 14 January 1993

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1009077

English Heritage Legacy ID: 13523

County: Staffordshire

Civil Parish: Fawfieldhead

Traditional County: Staffordshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Staffordshire

Church of England Parish: Longnor St Bartholomew

Church of England Diocese: Lichfield

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located some 170m north of The Low on the
crest of a ridge which drops gradually to the south-east. It survives as an
oval earthen mound up to 2m high with maximum dimensions of 32m by 29m.
Limited excavation in the centre of the monument during the 19th century
located a human cremation on the old ground surface covered by a layer of clay
with a large burnt layer of charcoal above this. A few flint flakes and a
small piece of antler were also discovered in the mound during the 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

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 limited antiquarian investigation of the centre of the monument this
bowl barrow survives well. The excavation located human remains, flint and
faunal remains, and further similar evidence of interments and grave goods
will survive within the barrow.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Bateman, , Ten Years Digging (1861), (1861), 35
Other
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)

Source: Historic England

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