Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Bowl Barrow and part of a later boundary bank, in the northern part of West Wood, 600m west of Mockbegger Farm

Monument Types

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

Full description

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[TR 139 437] A probable barrow. (1)

A probable round barrow situated at TR 1407 4372, within a fir forest upon level ground. It is 26.0 metres in diameter, and 0.9 metres high. The mound has been mutilated and lowered on the N.E. and S.W. sides by trenching prior to afforestation of the area. No traces of aditch were noted. Surveyed at 1:2500. (2)

A trench was excavated through the mound and no evidence for an encircling ditch was found. The presence of struck flints suggests that the feature relates to Prehistoric activity, although whether it represents a barrow or not is not certain. (3)

Additional Information (4-5-6-7).

The monument includes a bowl barrow and part of a later boundary feature (TR 14 SW 34), situated on clay capped, chalk hill which forms part of the Kent Downs. The barrow has a circular mound approximately 20m in diameter and up to about 1m high, surrounded by a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. This has become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature about 3m wide.

THe south eastern side of the encircling ditch is crossed by part of a low, linear boundary nbank which measures about 2.5m wide and 0.3m high. The north east-south west aligned earthwork, which continues beyond the area of protection, forms part of a series of banks and ditches within West Wood. THese are thought to represent the remains of former land use patterns of medieval or post-medieval date.

Despite some disturbance by tree-root action, the bowl barrow and part of a later boundary bank, in the northern part of the West Wood, 600m west of Mockbegger Farm survive well and will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to their construction and the landscape in which they were situated. The barrow forms part of a widely dispersed group of at least seven bowl barrows of broadly contemporary date on this part of the Kent Downs, which are the subjects of separate schedulings, providing evidence for the importance of this are for burial practices during the prehistoric period. This section of boundary bank which crosses the barrow belongs to a wider complex of banks, ditches and trackways which represent the subsequent land use patterns across the Downs during the medieval and post-medieval periods.(8)

From the National Heritage List for Kent:

The monument includes a bowl barrow, and part of a later boundary feature, situated on a clay-capped, chalk hill which forms part of the Kent Downs. The barrow has a circular mound approximately 20m in diameter and up to about 1m high, surrounded by a ditch from which material used to construct the barrow was excavated. This has become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature about 3m wide. The south eastern side of the encircling ditch is crossed by part of a low, linear boundary bank which measures about 2.5m wide and 0.3m high. The north east-south west aligned earthwork, which continues beyond the area of protection, forms part of a series of banks and ditches within West Wood. These are thought to represent the remains of former land use patterns of medieval or post-medieval date.
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.

Despite some disturbance by tree-root action, the bowl barrow and part of a later boundary bank, in the northern part of West Wood, 600m west of Mockbeggar Farm survive well and will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to their construction and the landscape in which they were situated. The barrow forms part of a widely dispersed group of at least seven bowl barrows of broadly contemporary date on this part of the Kent Downs, which are the subjects of separate schedulings, providing evidence for the importance of this area for burial practices during the prehistoric period. The section of boundary bank which crosses the barrow belongs to a wider complex of banks, ditches and trackways which represent the subsequent land use patterns across the Downs during the medieval and post-medieval periods. (9)

<1> Bradshaw, J., 1966, Unknown (Unpublished document). SKE7923.

<2> F1 ASP 07-NOV-69 (OS Card Reference). SKE41988.

<2> Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1969, OS Record Card for TR 14 SW 27 Bowl Barrow West Wood, Lyminge Parish, F1 ASP 07-NOV-69 (Unpublished document). SKE7922.

<3> Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1969, Field report for Bowl Barrow monument TR 14 SW 21 - November, 1969 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5464.

<4> Terence O'Rourke PLC, 1994, West Wood scoping report and progress review (Unpublished document). SKE6916.

<6> Rank Holiday & Hotels Developments Ltd, 1994, Environmental Statement (Supplementary) Proposed Oasis Holiday Villase at West Wood (Unpublished document). SKE6919.

<7> South Eastern Archaeological Services, 1996, Evaluation at West Wood (Unpublished document). SKE6648.

<8> Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2001, Bowl Barrow and part of later boundary bank, in the northern part of West Wood (Scheduling record). SKE7924.

<9> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading