Church Farm
Church Farm House
BELL BARROW
Looking WSW in a grazing field behind Bradley Cottage, Church Street, Maiden Bradley. This fenced off burial mound has sprouted a mature set of trees which appear as a distinct clump beside a woody hedge. Originally bowl-shaped it now has a 'bite' out of its easterly side (as shown in photograph). This may be the result of soil acquisition for land fill purposes in the past. The site is possibly Bronze Age, however no further information is currently available to confirm this. ["It has formerly been dug into on the south side for the construction of a building (now demolished)." - Pastscape)
Reason for Designation
Bell barrows, the most visually impressive form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Early and Middle Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 1500-1100 BC. They occur either in isolation or in round barrow cemeteries and were constructed as single or multiple mounds covering burials, often in pits, and surrounded by an enclosure ditch. The burials are frequently accompanied by weapons, personal ornaments and pottery and appear to be those of aristocratic individuals, usually men. Bell barrows (particularly multiple barrows) are rare nationally, with less than 250 known examples, most of which are in Wessex. Their richness in terms of grave goods provides evidence for chronological and cultural links amongst early prehistoric communities over most of southern and eastern England as well as providing an insight into their beliefs and social organisation. As a particularly rare form of round barrow, all identified bell barrows would normally be considered to be of national importance.
The bell barrow 70m north of Church Farm House is a well preserved example of its class. Despite some disturbance to the mound and the part infilling of the surrounding ditch the barrow exhibits a largely original profile and will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age burial traditions, economy and environment.
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The monument includes a ditched bell barrow, lying on level ground 70m north of Church Farm House on the west side of Maiden Bradley. The barrow has a mound 20m in diameter and 3.2m high, the southern side of which has been disturbed by a substantial cutting. The mound is surrounded by a sloping berm which averages 10m in width, beyond which are traces of a ditch approximately 4m wide. The ditch, from which material to construct the mound was quarried, survives, where not visible on the surface, as a buried feature. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features is included.
also see: Pastscape
