Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a disc barrow,
situated on Kempsey Common, on a ridge of high ground overlooking the
floodplain of the River Severn. The barrow is one of three on the common, the
other two being c.70m west and c.150m south west, the subjects of separate
schedulings.

The remains of this barrow include a circular area of c.21m diameter, defined
by a low earthen bank, with an internal and external ditch. The bank survives
around all but the south east quarter of the monument, elsewhere being c.3m
wide and up to 0.3m high. Material for its construction will have been
obtained from the flanking ditches, both of which are now greatly infilled.
The inner ditch is visible as a slight depression containing darker grass than
the surrounding area, measuring up to 2m across. The outer ditch is visible
around the west side of the mound as an area of dark grass again c.2m across,
but is indistinct in the south east quarter where it has become completely
infilled. However, this section will survive as a buried feature. The maximum
overall diameter of the monument is therefore c.35m.

The enclosed area will originally have contained one or more low earthen
mounds, which have been removed or modified by tree planting. The remains of
several large tree stumps are visible in the enclosed area, and also within
the neighbouring barrows. These sites appear as wooded areas on early 20th
century Ordnance Survey maps, and may have been planted in the mid 19th
century to provide a backdrop to Pirton Pool when viewed from Pirton Court
some 1.5km to the south east. The closest of the neighbouring barrows contains
the foundations of a World War II observation post, and the trees were
probably felled at this time to allow the look-out uninterrupted views. The
barrow's prominent position on high ground is typical of Bronze Age burial
monuments, and the site's clear views and high visibility has attracted reuse
as an ornamental feature in the post-medieval period.

The monument is easily accessible to visitors to the common. A Roman road, now
partly overlain by the M5, passes north-south to the west of the barrows.

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.

Disc barrows vary in form, and double ditched examples are previously
unrecorded in the area, making the barrows on Kempsey Common particularly
interesting examples. Evidence for the burial or burials within will be
preserved below ground, and may include grave goods as well as human remains.
The bank will retain details of its method of construction, and the ground
surface sealed beneath it will retain environmental evidence for land use
immediately prior to the barrow's construction. The fills of the ditches will
preserve evidence for the activities which took place at and around the barrow
during and subsequent to its use as a burial monument. All these elements
contribute to our understanding of the technology and beliefs of the barrow
builders. The close proximity to the neighbouring barrows increases interest
in the individual monuments, and contributes to a wider understanding of the
county's Bronze Age demography. In its prominent position on high ground above
the Severn floodplain the monument commands impressive views across the
surrounding area. It is easily seen by visitors to the common.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Darvill, T C, MPP Single Monument Class Description - Fancy Barrows, (1988)
Went, Dave, (1995)

Source: Historic England