Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The remains of a Bronze Age bowl barrow is situated in close association with another barrow on the highest point of Broad Downs, 300 metres south of the Firs. The round barrow is approximately 20 - 25 metres in diameter, 1 - 2 metres in height, surrounded by a ditch 2 metres wide. Little trace of the ditch remains and the monument is now under pasture but in relatively good condition apart from a small amount of animal activity. Past ploughing may have effected the condition of the bank and the profile appears slightly spread. This barrow is scheduled as an ancient monument, however a barrow in close association some 500 metres to the north west has been descheduled.

Monument Types

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

Full description

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[TR 07704564] Tumulus [NR] "A" [TR 08004520] Tumulus [NR] "B" (1) "A": This is not a barrow but a small section of a bank cum terrace isolated by an old drove or packhorse road. "B": Bowl barrow situated on the highest point of Broad Downs, measuring 19.5 metres in height. No trace of ditch, under pasture, good condition. Published 25" survey revised. (2) Two Bronze Age barrows. [TR 076456] A round barrow, 25 metres in diameter, 2 metres in height, surrounded by a ditch 2 metres wide. The ditch is obvious around the north and west sides of the mound but it peters out to the south and is not visible to the east where the profile of the mound itself is also less clear. Here the height is little over 1 metre. The mound is covered with undergrowth and a few bushes. [TR 080452] A round barrow, 22 metres in diameter, 1.5 metres in height, without a ditch. Profile appears slightly spread, probably the result of past ploughing. Height 1.3 metres, under grass. The barrow is in grazing area, in good condition apart from some mole activity. The two scheduled sites are freehold property of the NatureConservancy run as a nature reserve, open to the public. (3,4) [TR 079453] and [TR 077456] Two round barrows on Broad Downs, scheduled. (5) TR 07714564 Barrow A; descheduled (6)

ENTRY IN THE SCHEDULE OF MONUMENTS:

The monument, a bowl barrow located on the crest of the Downs with extensive views to the south and west, includes an earthen mound encircled by a now-infilled quarry ditch. The profile or the mound suggests that it has been spread slightly by agricultural activity, but the barrow mound nevertheless survives to a height of 1.6m above the surrounding land and measures 21m in diameter. The surrounding ditch has been infilled by the soil eroded and spread from the mound so that it is no longer visible. The diameter of the mound and ditch together is 26m.

ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE
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. (8)

<1> OS 6" 1959 (OS Card Reference). SKE48366.

<2> F1 CFW 15-MAY-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42594.

<3> HMBC AM107 1987 (OS Card Reference). SKE44159.

<4> DOE (IAM) Record Form 1983 (OS Card Reference). SKE40738.

<5> DOE (IAM) AMs England 2 1978 109 (OS Card Reference). SKE40694.

<6> Field report for monument TR 04 NE 1 - May, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5117.

<7> English Heritage Descheduling Notification 21-Jul-1991 (Reference MPP 25/AA 51528/1) (OS Card Reference). SKE41617.

<8> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading