Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Round barrow 273b, Diameter 21m, height 2m in Mounts Wood.

Monument Types

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

Full description

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TR 10615043: Large bowl barrow 21.0m in diameter and 1.5m in height. Situated in dense woodland it is surmounted by a number of large oaks and there is an old excavation trench across it. Discovered by J Bradshaw. Surveyed at 1:2500. (1) TR 106504. Round barrow 273b, Diameter 21m, height 2m in Mounts Wood. The barrow is trenched on top and surmounted by trees. (2) Scheduled (3)

From the National Heritage List for England:

Details:

The monument includes a bowl barrow which comprises an earthen mound and an encircling ditch. The mound measures 21m in diameter and stands to a height of 1.6m. An old excavation trench 1m wide extends from the southern margin of the mound towards the centre. The surrounding ditch has been infilled completely by erosion from the mound and by leaf litter so that it is no longer visible on the surface. It was dug originally to provide the earth for the mound. The mound and ditch together have a diameter of approximately 26m

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. 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 the limited disrurbance to the monument caused by small-scale partial excavation and by the roots of fallen trees, the monument retains significant archaeological potential because less than one-fifth of the mound has been affected and because the original ground surface and the entire ditch survive apparently undisturbed. These areas will hold evidence of the manner and duration of use of the monument and of the environment in which it was created (6)

<1> J. Bradshaw, 8 Forest Houses, Challock (OS Card Reference). SKE44820.

<2> F1 CFW 19-NOV-69 (OS Card Reference). SKE42652.

<3> DOE (IAM) Record Form 3.10.86 plan (OS Card Reference). SKE40748.

<4> Field report for monument TR 15 SW 18 - November, 1969 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5507.

<5> English Heritage SAMs 9-4-91 (OS Card Reference). SKE41632.

<6> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading