Details

The monument, which includes a bowl barrow, is located on a gentle west facing
slope in a plantation within the Kings Forest, Wordwell. The barrow is visible
as an earthen mound, which stands to a height of approximately 0.9m and is
about 38m in diameter. It is thought that the mound is encircled by a ditch
from which earth was quarried during the construction of the barrow. Although
this has now become completely infilled and is no longer visible, it will
survive as a buried feature approximately 3m wide.

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.

The bowl barrow, known as Traveller's Hill tumulus survives well and will
retain archaeological information concerning its construction and the manner
and duration of its use. Evidence for the local environment prior to and
during that time will also be preserved in soils buried beneath the mound and
in the fill of the buried ditch. The proximity of the barrow to a number of
other barrows in this part of the Breckland region give it additional
interest. Together these barrows give some evidence of the character,
development and density of the prehistoric population in this area.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Suffolk County Sites and Monument Record, (1949)
Title: Ordnance Survey 6" Prov Edition 1958 Ordnance Survey 1" 1st Edition 1843
Source Date: 1843
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
1985

Source: Historic England