Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a chalk ridge 880m north east
of Lower Upham Farm with extensive views to the west across the valley of the
River Og. The barrow is circular in plan and consists of a low spread mound up
to 18.5m in diameter and 0.3m in height. A ditch, from which material was
excavated for the monument's construction, surrounds the mound. This has
become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature approximately
2m wide.

Although not documented as such, local sources suggest that the barrow was one
of several in the area investigated by Canon Greenwell in the late 19th
century. This was supported by Passmore's excavation of the site in 1934 which
revealed traces of a series of trenches cutting the centre of the barrow.
Passmore recorded that the barrow contained a central grave pit 3m in length
and 1m in width and fragments of a Middle Bronze Age collared urn and cremated
bone. These and a piece of Beaker pottery subsequently recovered suggest that
the barrow was reused for successive interments over a long period.

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 bowl barrow 880m north east of Lower Upham Farm survives comparatively
well and will retain archaeological information pertaining to its construction
and use. In addition the old land surface sealed beneath the mound and the
external quarry ditch are likely to contain environmental evidence relating to
the prehistoric landscape in which the barrow was placed.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Goddard, E H , List of Prehistoric, Romand and Pagan Antiquities, (1913), p.157
Grinsell, LV, The Victoria History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume V, (1957), p.148
Passmore, A D, Barrow 19 Aldbourne (Goddard), (1942), p.239
Other
Ordnance Survey, SU 27 NW 44,
Wiltshire County Council, SU 27 NW 617,

Source: Historic England