Details

The monument includes the remains of a bowl barrow 800m north west of North
Barn Farm on Houghton North Down. The barrow mound is now visible as a slight
rise. In 1959 Grinsell recorded a diameter for the mound of 15 paces (c.12m)
which corresponds with a diameter of 38ft recorded in 1863 when the mound was
5ft high. Grinsell also recorded a ditch surrounding the mound and although
this is no longer visible it will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide.
The barrow was partly excavated in 1863 revealing, about 1ft down in the
centre of the mound, five urns containing cremations protected by compactly
laid flints. A sixth urn with a cremation, again protected by a layer of
flint, was found at a higher level nearby. Above these the mound was composed
of soil. The excavation trench is now just visible cutting across the centre
of the mound.
Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts, 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.

Despite having been reduced in height by cultivation, the bowl barrow 800m
north west of North Barn Farm on Houghton North Down will contain
archaeological remains, providing information about Bronze Age burial
practices, economy and environment. The 1863 excavation has provided insight
into the construction of the barrow and the nature of the burials contained
within it.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Mansel Pleydell, J C, 'Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Arch. Society' in The Barrows Of Dorset, , Vol. Vol 5, (1883), 32

Source: Historic England