Scheduled Monument: Bowl Barrow On Summit Of Sponds Hill (1007394)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow on summit of Sponds Hill PARISH: LYME HANDLEY DISTRICT: MACCLESFIELD COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 22571 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ97008029 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument is a bowl barrow located on the summit of Sponds Hill. It includes a slightly oval mound of earth and stones up to 0.5m high with maximum dimensions of 8.25m by 7.5m. The Ordnance Survey column on the barrow's summit is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included. 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. Despite the presence of an eroded hollow around the base of the Ordnance Survey column, the bowl barrow on the summit of Sponds Hill survives reasonably well. It is not known to have been excavated and will therefore contain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 30th May 1958 as part of: COUNTY/NUMBER: Cheshire 55 NAME: Two Round Barrows on Sponds Hill The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 22571 NAME: Bowl barrow on summit of Sponds Hill SCHEDULING REVISED ON 21st October 1993