Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

One of 6 Bowl barrows in Eggringe Wood.

Monument Types

• BOWL BARROW (BOWL BARROW, Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

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TR 086507. A barrow situated in a wood. One of a group of three. (1) A group of four Bowl barrows situated on level ground within lyminge Forest, Forestry Commission chestnut woodland. All are in good condition except for burrowing by rabbits, and an old pit dug in the side of `D'. None have any traces of a ditch. `A' TR 09665035 : 24.0m in diameter, 1.0m high. `B' TR 09635041 : 27.0m " " 1.7m " `C' TR 09795069 : 21.0m " " 1.7m " `D' TR 09965091 : 27.om " " 1.0m " Surveyed at 1:2500. Siting in 1 is incorrect. (2) TR 096504, six round barrows in Eggringe Wood. (3) TR 09965091, Barrow `b' (listed by 2 as `d') TR 09795069, Barrow `c' (listed by 2 as `c') TR 09635041, Barrow `d' (listed by 2 as `b') TR 09665035, Barrow `e' (listed by 2 as `a') Scheduled. (4) For the other barrows scheduled in this group by (3) see TR 04 NE 25 and TR 15 SW 21). Revised English Scheduled Monument numbers as follows: (authority 4 sequence used) B = 12828 C = 12829 D = 12830 E = 12831. (5)

From the National Heritage List for England:

Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow which comprises an earthen mound encircled by a now-infilled quarry ditch. This is the most upstanding of the examples in Eggringe Wood, surviving to a height of 1.8m. The mound is some 18m in diameter but the ditch beyond is no longer visible, having been infilled by erosion from the mound and by leaf-litter. The diameter of the mound and ditch together is 22m. A hole in the top of the mound shows that partial excavation has taken place, but the original ground surface below the barrow mound appears not to have been reached. The many flint nodules from the digging suggest that it was largely from such material that the mound was originally constructed

Reasons for Designation
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. Their ubiquity and their tendency to occupy prominent locations makes them 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.

Despite the small-scale partial excavation attested by the hole in the top of the mound, the barrow near Thruxted Mill in Eggringe Wood is considered to retain significant archaeological potential since much of the mound, the burials in or beneath it, the original ground surface and the surrounding ditch all survive intact. The barrow is one of a group of six similar examples in the immediate locality. Such a concentration is unusual in Kent and together the barrows demonstrate the importance of the area for burial in the Bronze Age. (7)

<1> Letter: J Bradshaw 19 6 66 AO/C/XB/112 (OS Card Reference). SKE46117.

<2> F1 ASP 14.11.69 (OS Card Reference). SKE42093.

<3> DOE(IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 109 (OS Card Reference). SKE41412.

<4> DOE(IAM) Record Form Plan (OS Card Reference). SKE41446.

<5> Field report for monument TR 05 SE 21 - November, 1969 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5228.

<6> English Heritage Schedule Amendment 13-Aug-1991 (OS Card Reference). SKE41637.

<7> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading