Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated east of Hertford, on the crest of
a hill overlooking the River Lea. The hemispherical earth mound measures 40m
east-west by 46m north-south and is c.1.6m high. The north side of the barrow
has been slightly disturbed by the construction of a bunker on the former golf
course. Although no longer visible, a ditch, from which material was excavated
for the construction of the monument, surrounds the barrow mound. This has
been infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. The
paved footpaths surrounding the monument are excluded from the scheduling
although the ground beneath them 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

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.

Although slightly disturbed by the construction of a golf bunker, the bowl
barrow near Gallows Plain is of large size and has never been excavated. It
contains archaeological and environmental evidence relating both to
the monument and to the landscape in which it was constructed.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Information from SMR (bowl barrow near Gallows Plain),

Source: Historic England