Scheduled Monument: Bowl Barrow At Ox Close (1007393)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow at Ox Close PARISH: RAINOW DISTRICT: MACCLESFIELD COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 22570 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ97137910 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument is a bowl barrow located in Ox Close at the south-west side of a ridge crest just below the summit. It includes a slightly oval earthen mound up to 1.5m high with maximum dimension of 16m by 15m. 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. The monument is a rare survival in Cheshire of an unexcavated example of this class of monument. It will contain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 13th April 1976 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Cheshire 105 NAME: Round barrow 490 yds (450m) East of Brink Farm The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 22570 NAME: Bowl barrow at Ox Close