Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow set on level ground in an area of gently
undulating chalk downland. The barrow mound stands to a height of 4m and is
31m in diameter. Although no longer visible at ground level a ditch, from
which material was quarried during construction of the monument, surrounds
the mound. This has been infilled over the years but survives as a buried
feature c.3m wide. The mound and ditch together have a diameter of 37m.

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 Sheppard's Farm barrow is important as it survives comparatively well
and has potential for the recovery of archaeological remains. The
significance of the site is enhanced by the fact that numerous other barrow
mounds and additional evidence for contemporary settlement survive in the
area. These give an indication of the intensity with which the downs were
occupied during the Bronze Age period.

Source: Historic England