Details

The monument is situated on rising ground north-west of the village of Sutton
Cheney next to the Bosworth Road. It is one of two barrows, the second of
which is located at the top of the rise to the north.

The barrow is about 2m high and is flat topped. Truncating by the road on the
eastern side and landscaping on the northern side has left the barrow with a
square appearance measuring approximately 20m on each side but the original
plan of the earthwork was circular. There is no indication of a surrounding
ditch.

A barrow at Sutton Cheney was opened by Sir John Evans in 1857 and a bronze
age bone pin was found. It is not certain however, which barrow the find
comes from. The second barrow located 150m to the north is situated in a
cultivated field and does not survive well. It is not included in the
scheduling.

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.

The monument at Sutton Cheney survives in good condition and appears to be
largely undisturbed.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Evans, J, The Ancient Stone Implements of Great Britain, (1897), 432

Source: Historic England