Details

The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow situated 950m south west of
Butterbush Reservoir approximately 110m south of a linear earthwork known as
`Grim's Ditch' (the subject of separate scheduling) on Yew Down.
The barrow mound survives, despite partial reduction by cultivation, as an
upstanding earthwork measuring approximately 17m in diameter and standing up
to 0.5m high. Originally, the mound was surrounded by an open quarry ditch
from which material was obtained during its construction. This has become
infilled over the years and now lies buried below the modern ground level but
is believed to be approximately 2.5m wide.

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 Yew Down bowl barrow survives despite having been partly levelled by
cultivation and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence
relating to its construction and the landscape in which it was built.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:10000 Series
Source Date: 1980
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
SU 48 SW

Source: Historic England