Ancient Monuments

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Two of three bowl barrows on Upwaltham Hill

A Scheduled Monument in Upwaltham, West Sussex

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.9042 / 50°54'15"N

Longitude: -0.6547 / 0°39'16"W

OS Eastings: 494691.134044

OS Northings: 112499.055925

OS Grid: SU946124

Mapcode National: GBR FHH.98Z

Mapcode Global: FRA 96JQ.6S9

Entry Name: Two of three bowl barrows on Upwaltham Hill

Scheduled Date: 27 January 1967

Last Amended: 22 January 1993

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1008870

English Heritage Legacy ID: 20102

County: West Sussex

Civil Parish: Upwaltham

Traditional County: Sussex

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): West Sussex

Church of England Parish: Slindon St Mary

Church of England Diocese: Chichester

Details

The monument includes two of a group of three bowl barrows situated on the
south-facing slope of a rise in chalk downland. The southern barrow is the
smaller of the two and has a central mound which measures 15m in diameter and
0.6m high. Surrounding this is a ditch from which material was quarried during
the construction of the monument. This is no longer visible at ground level,
having become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature c.3m
wide. The second barrow is 8m to the north and has a central mound 27m in
diameter and 1.6m high. There is a large hollow in the centre of the mound
which suggests that it was once partially excavated. Surrounding the mound is
a ditch which, although partially infilled, is still visible to the north of
the mound up to 6m wide and 0.5m deep. A boundary bank and double ditch of
post-medieval date runs roughly north-south on the western side of the barrow.

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.

Despite partial excavation of one of the barrows and disturbance caused by the
construction of the later boundary ditch, the two bowl barrows on Upwaltham
Hill survive comparatively well and contain archaeological remains and
environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it
was constructed.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Sussex Archaeological Collections' in Sussex Barrows, , Vol. 75, (1934), 248
Other
Ordnance Survey, SU91SW26C, (1971)

Source: Historic England

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