Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a Bronze Age bowl
barrow situated on level ground within a valley 180m south of the River Onney.
From this location there are extensive views of the surrounding countryside,
especially the Long Mynd to the east.

The barrow mound was orginally circular, and about 30m in diameter. The
southern half of the mound remains visible, the other half having been largely
removed by road excavations in the mid-19th century. During the course of
these excavations human bones, associated burnt material and several urns,
ornamented with zigzag patterns, were found. The portion of the barrow mound
that survives stands to a height of 2.5m. It is of earthen construction and
incorporates some stone.

The road and the verge that lie immediately north of the surviving portion of
the barrow mound is about a metre lower than the adjacent present ground
level. A brick-built wall has been constructed alongside the verge and acts as
a revetment for the barrow mound and the associated underlying deposits.

Although no longer visible at ground level, a ditch from which material was
quarried during the construction of the barrow, lies adjacent to the surviving
portion of the mound. This has become infilled over the years but survives as
a buried feature, approximately 3m wide.

The retaining wall alongside the road verge is not included in the scheduling.
The farm outbuilding which lies next to the barrow mound to the south together
with the adjacent yard surface, where they impinge on the monument, all garden
features and associated walls, fences and gates, are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath all these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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 surviving portion of the barrow at Eaton Farm is well-preserved. The
barrow mound will retain evidence for its method of construction as well as
any burials that may exist within it. These remains will advance our
understanding of Bronze Age society, including the ritual practices and
technical abilities of the people who constructed the barrow. The accumulated
ditch fills will preserve environmental evidence for the activities which took
place at the site during the construction of the barrow, and its subsequent
use. In addition, the buried ground surface beneath the mound will preseve
evidence for the prehistoric landscape in which the barrow was built.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Wright, T, 'The Illustrated London News' in Roman Lead Mines, and Roman Villas in Shropshire, , Vol. 29, (1856), 351

Source: Historic England