Details

The monument includes the bowl barrow known as Troston Mount which is situated
to the south of Honington Airfield and immediately to the east of Broadmere
Lake. The barrow is visible as an earthen mound, which stands to a height of
approximately 2.5m. The barrow mound is roughly circular with a diameter of
about 34m. Encircling the mound are a ditch and external bank, which are most
clearly visible on the north east and south west sides of the mound. The ditch
is largely infilled, but is marked by a hollow approximately 0.2m deep and up
to 8m wide. The external bank is about 6m wide, and survives in places to a
height of up to 0.5m.
The monument is believed to have been used as a meeting place for the Court of
the Bradmere Hundred. In addition, the Troston tithe map of 1842 names a field
in the vicinity as `Gibbet Pightle' indicating the proximity of a
gibbet/gallows site; this was possibly on Troston Mount.

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.

Troston Mount is a well preserved example of a bowl barrow, with a variety of
visible components including an outer bank, which is a relatively common
feature in the barrows surviving in this region. It will retain archaeological
information concerning its construction and the manner and duration of its
use. Evidence for the local environment prior to and during that time will
also be preserved in soils buried beneath the mound and in the fills of the
partly buried ditch. The proximity of the barrow to a number of other barrows
in this part of the Breckland region give it additional interest. Together
these barrows give some evidence of the character, development and density of
the prehistoric population in this area.
The reuse of the prehistoric barrow as a moot or meeting place gives the
monument additional interest. Moots were open-air meeting places set aside for
use by courts and other bodies, responsible for administration and
organisation of the countryside in Anglo-Saxon and medieval England. They
appear to have been first established between the seventh and ninth centuries
AD and their use declined after the 13th century. They were located at
convenient, conspicuous or well-known sites, using natural features, purpose
built monuments or man-made features. Occasionally prehistoric mounds were
remodelled to provide suitable sites.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Sussams, K, The Breckland Archaeological Survey 1994- 1996, (1996)
Sussams, K, The Breckland Archaeological Survey 1994- 1996, (1996)
Other
Title: Troston Tithe Map and Apportionment
Source Date: 1842
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
SRU T35/1, 2
Title: Troston Tithe Map and Apportionment
Source Date: 1842
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
Suffolk Record Office T35/1, 2

Source: Historic England