Details

The monument includes two, almost identical, adjacent bowl barrows, aligned
north west-south east, which lie immediately below the crest of a west facing
spur.
The southern barrow has a mound 25m in diameter and 2.75m high whilst the
northern barrow has a mound 24m in diameter and 2.6m high. Although no
surface indication of the ditch surrounding the mounds can be seen, it will
survive as a buried feature 3m wide.
Both barrow mounds exhibit an uneven profile in places and they have been
described previously as twin bell barrows. An old fence line runs half
way up the side of the mounds, however, and it is more likely that the change
in profile is a result of previous cultivation.
Both barrows were the subject of antiquarian investigation in the early 19th
century. In 1806 William Cunnington found a primary cremation and a bone pin
in the southern barrow and in 1811 Sir Richard Colt Hoare found ashes, flint
flakes and animal bones in the northern barrow.
All fence posts and archaeological site markers are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath them 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. Their considerable variation
of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the
variety of beliefs and social organisation 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 barrows 350m south east of Baden Down Farm are, despite some erosion,
impressive examples of their class and are known from past excavations to
contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age beliefs,
economy and environment.

Source: Historic England