Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated 690m SSW of Stocking Drove Farm,
north of Long North Fen Drove. The barrow has been protected by later deposits
of marine clay and peat, from which the crown of the mound now emerges,
visible as a slight gravel rise. The deeper lying remains were subject to a
borehole survey in 1990, revealing that the mound survives to a height of 0.3m
and has a diameter of 22m. The mound is surrounded by an infilled ditch, from
which earth was dug in the construction of the mound, which is about 0.4m deep
and 4m wide.

The barrow is situated on a gravel island along the former course of the River
Great Ouse, where it met the Fen edge. This location acted as a focal point
for prehistoric activity, leaving a range of monuments, such as a spread of
barrow clusters and a Neolithic flint scatter about 120m to the south.

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

Round barrows 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 mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered
single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as
cemeteries and often acted as a focus of 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 examples recorded nationally (many more have already
been destroyed), occurring across most of Britain, including the Wessex area
where it is often possible to classify them more closely, for example as bowl
or bell barrows. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major
historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation in
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 round barrow 690m SSW of Stocking Drove Farm is well-preserved, having
been protected by overlying deposits of peat and clay, and is the best
surviving example of a larger round barrow cemetery now largely destroyed by
quarrying and arable cultivation. It appears to be unexcavated and is likely
to contain a wealth of archaeological evidence relating to activity on the
site, the manner and duration of use of the barrow, its construction, and the
landscape in which it was set.

Source: Historic England