Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Two barrows, 80 yds. apart on a ridge in Ringwould parish about a mile from the sea, were excavated by Woodruff in 1872. The westernmost was found to contain a cremation without an urn, and four under inverted urns. Nothing was found in the other except one pottery fragment. The relics, including a bead dateable to c.14th c. B.C., are in Maidstone Museum. These were both probably bowl-barrows and are situated on a downland ridge at a height of 230 ft. OD. Barrow 'A' measures about 15.0m in diameter and 1.4m in maximum height. There is no visible ditch. Barrow 'B' has apparently has been partly destroyed on the north west side and now measures about 10.0 - 16.0m transversely and 1.2m in maximum height. There is no visible ditch. Both barrows are under grass and in fair condition; each has a War Department 'star' on the top. A selection of the finds is on display in Maidstone Museum.

Monument Types

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

Associated Finds

• (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 1501 BC)
• BEAD (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 1501 BC)
• POT (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 1501 BC)
• PYGMY CUP (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 1501 BC)
• COLLARED URN (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 1800 BC to 1501 BC)
• PYGMY CUP (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 1800 BC to 1501 BC)
• BICONICAL URN (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 1750 BC to 1501 BC)
• BICONICAL URN (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 1750 BC to 1501 BC)
• BICONICAL URN (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 1750 BC to 1501 BC)

Full description

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[TR 36444703, TR 36494708] Tumuli [NR] (1) Two barrows, 80 yds. apart on a ridge in Ringwould parish about a milefrom the sea, were excavated by Woodruff in 1872. The westernmost wasfound to contain a cremation without an urn, and four under inverted urns. Nothing was found in the other except one pottery fragment. The relics, including a bead dateable to c.14th c. B.C., are in Maidstone Museum. (2-5) These were both probably bowl-barrows and are situated on a downland ridge at a height of 230 ft. OD. 'A', at TR 36444703, measures about 15.0m in diameter and 1.4m in maximum height. There is no visible ditch. 'B', at TR 36494708, apparently has been partly destroyed on the NW side and now measures about 16.0m NE - SW by 10.0m transversely and 1.2m in maximum height. There is no visible ditch. Both barrows are under grass and in fair condition; each has a War Department 'star' on the top. A selection of the finds is on display in Maidstone Museum. Resurveyed at 1:2500. (6) "In this slightly oval mound, about a mile from the sea, four large cinerary urns were found in cists cut in the chalk. Three of the urnscontained burnt burials; in one was a pygmy cup and in another two such cups with three small segmented beads of light green colour and one oblete bead of the same material and colour". Detailed description of Faira bead. (7) Additional bibliography. (8,9)

From the National Heritage List for England:

Details

The monument includes a pair of bowl barrows each of which comprises an earthen mound encircled by a now-infilled quarry ditch. It also includes the area between the barrows which excavations on comparable sites have shown to be the location of further burials without covering mounds. The north-eastern example measures 17m in diameter and stands to a maximum height of 1.8m on the western side, diminishing to 0.5m on the eastern side as the ground level rises. There is no clear indication of the position of the ditch, which has been infilled by soil washed from the mound. Its near neighbour to the south-west has a slightly truncated mound measuring 19m NE-SW by 12m SE-NW and standing to 2.1m at its highest point. The oval shape is considered to be the result of changes caused by agricultural practices; the mound was originally circular. Like its neighbour, this example has no visible surrounding ditch, soil from the mound having filled it. Both of these barrows were partially excavated in 1872 by C. Woodruff and subsequently carefully reinstated. In the south-western mound were found four inverted pottery vessels containing ashes of cremated individuals as well as miniature pots and beads of blue glass-like material known as faience. Fragments of pottery were found in the north-eastern of the two mounds.


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.

Although the barrows were disturbed by the partial excavations in 1872, they were not fully investigated before being reinstated and significant proportions of the barrows survive intact. The monument therefore has the potential to provide further evidence on the nature and duration of use of the barrows and of the environment in which they were constructed (11)

<1> OS 25" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48277.

<2> Arch 45 1880 53-6 illust (CH Woodruff) (OS Card Reference). SKE34424.

<3> The Antiquary 2 38 05.10.1872 239-40 (CH Woodruff) (OS Card Reference). SKE49937.

<4> Arch Cant 9 1874 21-6 (CH Woodruff) (OS Card Reference). SKE36002.

<5> Arch of Kent 1930 119-22 261 (RF Jessup) (OS Card Reference). SKE36875.

<6> F1 FGA 19-MAY-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42948.

<7> Arch 85 1935 236 250 (HC Beck JFS Stone) (OS Card Reference). SKE34456.

<8> Report of the Institute of Archaeology 1954-55 33 (JJ Butler and IF Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE49169.

<9> PPS 22 1956 58 84 (JFS Stone and LC Thomas) (OS Card Reference). SKE48585.

<10> Field report for monument TR 34 NE 12 - May, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5918.

<11> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading

Related thematic articles

• The history of Kent's archaeology (Thematic Essay)