Details

The monument includes a well preserved bowl barrow situated on a natural
prominence at the southern end of Ivinghoe Hill. The barrow mound is 15m in
diameter and stands to a height of 2.1m. The central part of the mound has
been disturbed and subsequently restored so that in its present form it has a
rounded profile. Surrounding the mound is an original ditch, from which the
material for the mound would have been quarried during construction. Though
largely infilled by the processes of natural erosion and deposition, it
survives as a slight, though distinct earthwork 2m wide and 0.2m deep.

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

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

Though the central area of the mound has been disturbed and restored, the
remaining parts of the Beacon Hill barrow, including the surrounding ditch,
survive comparatively well. The close proximity of other monuments of the
same period and their relationship to each other, add to the significance of
the site and allow some understanding of the settlement and cultural
organisation of the area in the Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
NAR SP91NE20,

Source: Historic England