Scheduled Monument: Bowl Barrow 200M North-East Of Capesthorne Hall (1007399)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 200m north-east of Capesthorne Hall PARISH: SIDDINGTON DISTRICT: MACCLESFIELD COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 22576 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ84297289 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow located on the summit of a rounded knoll 200m north-east of Capesthorne Hall. It includes a slightly oval turf-covered earthen mound up to 1m high with maximum dimensions of 27m by 25.5m. A broken ornamental stone pedestal on the barrow's summit is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath the pedestal 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 construction of a small ornamental pedestal on the monument's summit, the bowl barrow 200m north-east of Capesthorne Hall survives reasonably well. The monument is not thought to have been excavated and will retain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 20th October 1993