Details

The monument includes a bell barrow situated on a gentle west facing slope on
Haxton Down. The barrow has a mound 22m in diameter and 2.2m high surrounded
by a berm 4.5m wide. The mound and berm are not placed centrally within the
ditched area which is 8m wide on the eastern side but 6m wide for the rest of
its circuit and a maximum 0.6m deep. Tank tracks have cut through the mound on
both the north-south and east-west axis to a maximum depth, at the centre, of
1.8m and in 1972 a cremation, comprising a quantity of burnt bone and
charcoal, was exposed about 4m from the centre.
The wooden post palisade that now surrounds the barrow and the surface and
make-up of the stone track on the south side are excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath these features 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

Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary
monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples
belonging to the period 1600-1300 BC. They occur either in isolation or in
round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds
covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The
burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery
and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows,
(particularly multiple barrows), are rare nationally, with less than 250 known
examples most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods
provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early
prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as
providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a
particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would
normally be considered to be of national importance.

Despite considerable erosion from tracked vehicles, the bell barrow on Haxton
Down still retains a recognisable profile and will contain archaeological
remains providing information about Bronze Age beliefs, economy and
environment.

Source: Historic England