Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow north of Hill Side Spinney (1017544)

DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The bowl barrow is located approximately 200m to the north of Hill Side Spinney, close to Wakerley Great Wood in the parish of Fineshade, and lies 300m west of the main A43 road. This bowl barrow is situated on a slight rise and, although it is under cultivation, it is still clearly visible on the ground as a round mound 0.6m high and 20m in diameter. There is no indication that the make-up of the barrow mound has been substantially disturbed. Aerial photographs of the barrow show that the mound is surrounded by a ditch, but this feature cannot be discerned on the ground. 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. Hill Side Spinney bowl barrow at Fineshade is one of sixteen barrows which are known to survive as upstanding earthworks in Northamptonshire. Although the barrow is under cultivation, it is considered that the pre-barrow ground surface and primary burial will be well preserved beneath the mound.

Record last edited

Sep 6 2023 10:09AM