Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a slight north-facing rise in
the Lower Greensand within 50m of two other bowl barrows. The barrow has
a mound 28m in diameter by 1.8m high which has been partly disturbed by an
L-shaped trench cut into it. This most probably results from partial
excavation or army use, although no details are known. Surrounding the mound
is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the
monument. This is no longer visible from ground level having become infilled
over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m 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.

Despite evidence of partial excavation the bowl barrow on Witley Common 200m
east of Penmead Copse survives comparatively well and contains
archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and
the landscape in which it was constructed. As one of a group of four closely
spaced bowl barrows, it contributes to a valuable insight into the nature and
scale of human occupation in the area during the Bronze Age period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Surrey Archaeological Collections' in An Analysis And List Of Surrey Barrows, , Vol. 42, (1934), 60
Grinsell, L V, 'Surrey Archaeological Collections' in Surrey Barrows 1934-1987: A Reappraisal, , Vol. 79, (1987), 37

Source: Historic England