Details

The monument includes a bell barrow, set below the crest of a gentle
south-facing slope in an area of undulating chalk downland. The barrow
mound is 30m in diameter and stands to a height of c.4m. Surrounding
the barrow mound are a berm, ditch and outer bank. The berm, c.2m wide,
is no longer visible at ground level, while the ditch and outer bank
are only visible as earthworks to the south of the barrow mound,
surviving as buried features elsewhere. The ditch is 2m across and 0.4m
deep. The outer bank is 2m across and 0.5m high. The surface of the
unmetalled track which runs from north to south across the western side
of the barrow is excluded from the monument, although the ground
beneath is included.

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

Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are
funerary monuments dating to the early and middle Bronze Age, with most
examples belonging to the period 1600-1300 bc. They occur either in
isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single
or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by
an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons,
personal ornaments, and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic
individuals, usually men. Bell barrows [,particularly multiple
barrows,] are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples most
of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides
evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric
communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as
providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a
particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows
would normally be considered to be of national importance.

As there is no evidence for formal excavation of the Earl's Farm Down
bell barrow, it has considerable archaeological potential. The
importance of the site is further enhanced by its incorporation within
a barrow cemetery. Such cemeteries provide valuable information on the
variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst Bronze Age
communities. Individual barrows within such cemeteries are central to
their interpretation and therefore of considerable importance.

Source: Historic England