Details

The monument includes the mound and encircling ditch of a barrow or
burial mound which dates from the Bronze Age. The mound measures some
7m in diameter and stands to a height of 1.6m above the level of the
ground. There is a trace of the surrounding ditch in the form of a
slight hollow area some 2m across, most easily visible on the western
side. Agricultural activity has truncated the barrow mound so that a gap
of 2m exists between the barrow mound and its ditch. The overall
diameter of the monument is therefore judged to be 25m. The surface
of the mound shows evidence of small-scale partial excavation but no
records survive to describe the nature of any finds. The barrow mound is
marked on the eastern and western sides by star-shaped signs, which are
excluded from 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.

Despite the limited damage to the monument near the Tolsford mast caused
by small-scale partial excavation and by agricultural activity, the
monument retains considerable archaeological potential through the
survival of much of the barrow mound, the original ground surface below
the mound and the lower parts of the surrounding ditch, evidence from
all of which can contribute to an understanding of the date, manner and
duration of use of the monument and of the environment in which it was
constructed. This monument is also one of a small cluster of barrows on
Tolsford Hill which point to the importance of the locality in the
Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Spurrell, F, 'Archaeological Journal' in Archaeological Journal, , Vol. 40, (1883), 292
Other
Darvill, T, Monument Class Description - Bowl barrows, 1988,

Source: Historic England