Details

The monument includes a cluster of three bowl barrows, situated on the crest
of a low chalk knoll to the south of Woolbury hillfort on the lower slopes of
Stockbridge Down.

The south westerly barrow has a circular mound 10m in diameter and 0.3m
high with traces of a surrounding ditch on the north side. The central barrow
has a circular mound 10m in diameter and 0.2m high surrounded by traces of a
ditch, most prominent on the north side. The north easterly barrow has an oval
mound, 12m east-west, 10m north-south and 0.5m high with no surface indication
of a surrounding ditch although this will survive as a buried feature. The
irregular shape of the mound suggests that the south side has been partly dug
away.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Stockbridge Down is one of few surviving areas of undisturbed chalk downland
in Wessex and contains a range of generally well preserved archaeological
features. A survey has confirmed the survival of prehistoric round
barrows, linear earthworks and field systems all to the south of the Iron Age
hillfort of Woolbury.

The three bowl barrows on Stockbridge Down are small and on the whole
comparatively well preserved examples of their class. Such small barrows are
particularly vulnerable to mechanical erosion yet two of the examples within
this group appear to exhibit a profile within which the slight traces of a
ditch surrounding the barrow mound may be recognised. The barrows contain
archaeological remains relating to Bronze Age burial practices, economy and
environment.

The monument is situated within an area of unrestricted public access.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club' in Hampshire Barrows, (1938), 353
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club' in Hampshire Barrows, (1938), 353

Source: Historic England