Details

The monument includes two bowl barrows on ground which slopes to the north
east, approximately 250m to the west of an Icknield Way path.

The most westerly barrow is visible as a low earthen mound, which stands
to a height of approximately 0.8m and covers a roughly circular area with a
maximum diameter of 55m. A second bowl barrow approximately 65m to the ESE of
the first is also visible as a roughly circular earthern mound, with a height
of about 0.7m and a maximum diameter of 53m. The mounds of both barrows have
been spread by ploughing and are thought to overlie the ditches which
originally encircled them and which will now survive as buried features.

Both barrows are marked on the 1837 Ordnance Survey 1st edition map as two
small contour rings with a further larger rise to the south west. These may
represent the `Threhowes' mentioned in a 14th century document relating to
Herringswell.

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 two bowl barrows 150m south east of Warrenhill Farm have been
reduced in height and spread by ploughing the remains of the mounds, the soils
buried beneath the mounds and the fills of the buried ditches surrounding them
will retain archaeological information concerning their construction and the
manner and duration of their use, together with evidence for the local
environment. The proximity of the barrows to a number of other barrows in the
Breckland region give them additional interest. Together these barrows give
evidence of the character, development and density of the prehistoric
population in this area.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Livett, R G C, 'East Anglian Notes and Queries' in Some 14th Century Documents Relating To Herringswell, , Vol. 10, (1904)
Other
Title: Ordnance Survey 1st Edition 1"
Source Date: 1837
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
Suffolk Records Office
Title: Ordnance Survey 1st Edition 1"
Source Date: 1837
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
Suffolk Records Office

Source: Historic England