Details

The monument, which includes a bowl barrow, is located on the north west edge
of Gibson's Slip, 220m north west of Gate Lodge, in an area dominated by
heathland. The barrow is visible as an earthen mound, stands to a height of
approximately 0.8m, and is approximately 31m in diameter. It is thought that
the mound is encircled by a ditch from which earth was quarried during the
construction of the barrow, and although this has now become completely
infilled and is no longer visible it will survive as a buried feature 3m wide.
The fence on the south east side of 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

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, on the north west edge of Gibson's Slip survives well and
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 buried ditch. The proximity of the barrow to a
number of other barrows in this part of the Breckland region, in particular
the Icklingham barrow cemetery which lies about 2km to the south, give it
additional interest. The majority of these barrows stand on land which was in
the past, and in many cases still is, heathland and warren. Together these
barrows give some evidence of the character, development and density of the
prehistoric population in this area.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Title: Eriswell Tithe Map
Source Date: 1839
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
Suffolk Records Office T 94/1, 2

Source: Historic England