Details

The monument includes two Bronze Age bowl barrows aligned east to west and
situated north of Grim's Ditch where it runs west towards Bokerley Dyke from
Tidpit Common Down. The barrows lie on a north facing slope within the Martin
Down National Nature Reserve.
The western barrow has a mound c.12m in diameter and 1.1m high. The surface of
the mound is irregular and may indicate the site of antiquarian excavation, of
which there are no known records. Surrounding the mound and, although obscured
by scrub, visible at the west and south sides as a shallow depression c.1.5m
wide and 0.1m deep, is a ditch from which material was quarried during the
construction of the monument. Elsewhere the ditch has become infilled but
survives as a buried feature.
The second barrow lies 4m to the east. The mound is c.8m in diameter and 0.6m
high. The encircling quarry ditch has become infilled over the years but
survives as a buried feature 1.5m wide. A hollow in the centre of the barrow
mound marks the probable site of antiquarian excavation, of which there are no
known records.

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 two barrows 200m north of Grim's Ditch near Tidpit Common Down survive
well as two of the numerous Bronze Age monuments constructed on Martin
Down. These have recently been the subject of a detailed survey by the Royal
Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. Despite evidence of
antiquarian excavation, the barrows and quarry ditches will contain
archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction and
use.

Source: Historic England