Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow and is located in the north east corner of
a modern field, approximately 300m north of the prehistoric trackway known as
the Icknield Way. The barrow is visible as an earthen mound, stands to a
height of approximately 0.4m and has a diameter of about 30m. Parts of the
barrow were investigated in 1969 by F Petersen who dug a complete cross
section through the mound, excavating a large area of the centre, together
with stretches of the encircling ditch. The ditch was shown to be up to 4.85m
wide and 1.8m deep. The mound was discovered to be made up of an inner core of
sand capped by an outer layer of gravel, suggesting that it was created from
spoil derived from the ditch. The centre of the mound had been cut through by
a previous robber trench which had disturbed both the central burial and
several other inhumation and cremation burials. What remained of the central
burial included fragments of human bone, sherds of pottery and a single amber
bead. In the vicinity of the grave were piles of human bone, relating to at
least six individuals.
Undisturbed peripheral burials in the south east quadrant of the mound
consisted of four inhumations and seven cremations. The layout of these
periphal burials, in an arc around the edge of the mound, suggested a small
organised cemetery, perhaps used by a single community for a comparatively
limited period of time.

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.

Although the bowl barrow to the north west of Pin Farm has undergone partial
excavation, less than half of the total area of the mound and only a very
small proportion of the ditch has been disturbed by this, and the remainder
survives well. The monument will retain further information concerning the
construction of the barrow and the manner and duration of its use, in addition
to the evidence recovered from the 1973 investigation. Evidence for the local
environment prior to and during that time will also be preserved in soils
buried beneath the unexcavated mound and in the fills of the 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.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Petersen, F, 'The Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology' in The Excavation Of An Early Bronze Age Cemetery At Pin Farm, Gazeley, , Vol. 33, (1973), 19-46

Source: Historic England