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Pair of bowl barrows 490m ESE of Jerry's Pond, forming part of a round barrow cemetery south east of Bostal Hill

A Scheduled Monument in Alciston, East Sussex

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.82 / 50°49'12"N

Longitude: 0.127 / 0°7'37"E

OS Eastings: 549920.180515

OS Northings: 104432.660718

OS Grid: TQ499044

Mapcode National: GBR LS4.GY6

Mapcode Global: FRA C64X.Z5F

Entry Name: Pair of bowl barrows 490m ESE of Jerry's Pond, forming part of a round barrow cemetery south east of Bostal Hill

Scheduled Date: 30 January 1967

Last Amended: 10 July 1996

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1014645

English Heritage Legacy ID: 27043

County: East Sussex

Civil Parish: Alciston

Traditional County: Sussex

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): East Sussex

Church of England Parish: Selmeston St Mary with Alciston

Church of England Diocese: Chichester

Details

The monument includes the north westernmost pair of bowl barrows forming part
of a prehistoric round barrow cemetery comprised of seven bowl barrows,
situated along a ridge of the Sussex Downs. This location enjoys panoramic
views of the Channel coast to the south and the Weald to the north. The north
west-south east aligned bowl barrows are situated c.15m apart and have
slightly uneven, circular mounds c.15m in diameter and up to c.1m high. The
north westerly mound has been reduced by modern ploughing on its south eastern
side. Surrounding the mounds are ditches from which material used to construct
the barrows was excavated. These have become infilled over the years, but
survive as buried features c.2m wide.
The modern fence which crosses the monument is excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath it 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

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

Bowl barrows are the most numerous form of round barrow and date from the Late
Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age. Most examples were constructed in the
period 2400-1500 BC. They occur across most of lowland Britain and, although
superficially similar in appearance, exhibit regional variations of form and a
diversity of burial practices.
The pair of bowl barrows 490m ESE of Jerry's Pond survive well, despite some
slight disturbance caused by modern ploughing, and will contain archaeological
and environmental evidence relating to the period in which they were
constructed and used.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
source 2, RCHME, TQ 40 SE 22, (1930)

Source: Historic England

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