Details

The monument includes a disc barrow situated on a gentle west-facing slope in
an area of sand and gravel beds.
The barrow has a central mound 15m in diameter and 0.7m high, surrounded by a
flat platform, or berm, between 3m and 3.5m wide. This is contained by a
ditch, 3m wide and 0.5m deep which has a causeway across it in the south-east,
and an outer bank 4m wide and 0.3m high.
The barrow was partially excavated by General Pitt-Rivers in 1877 and a small
central pit was discovered, believed to have been where a cremation burial had
been deposited. To the south-east of this, two Bronze Age pottery vessels were
found.

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

Disc barrows, the most fragile type of round barrow, are funerary monuments of
the Early Bronze Age, with most examples dating to the period 1400-1200 BC.
They occur either in isolation or in barrow cemeteries (closely-spaced groups
of round barrows). Disc barrows were constructed as a circular or oval area of
level ground defined by a bank and internal ditch and containing one or more
centrally or eccentrically located small, low mounds covering burials, usually
in pits. The burials, normally cremations, are frequently accompanied by
pottery vessels, tools and personal ornaments. It has been suggested that disc
barrows were normally used for the burial of women, although this remains
unproven. However, it is likely that the individuals buried were of high
status. Disc barrows are rare nationally, with about 250 known examples, most
of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides
important evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst prehistoric
communities over a wide area of southern England as well as providing an
insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare and
fragile form of round barrow, all identified disc barrows would normally be
considered to be of national importance.

Despite partial excavation, the disc barrow on Whitmoor Common survives well
and is a fine example of this rare form. The barrow contains both
archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and
the landscape in which it was constructed.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Surrey Archaeological Collections' in Surrey Barrows 1934-1987: A Reappraisal, , Vol. 79, (1987)
Other
NT 80 NW 01,

Source: Historic England