Scheduled Monument: High Billinge Bowl Barrow (1008902)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: High Billinge bowl barrow PARISH: UTKINTON DISTRICT: VALE ROYAL COUNTY: CHESHIRE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 23705 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SJ55466621 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes High Billinge bowl barrow located on the summit of a low hillock north west of High Billinge House. It includes an oval mound of earth up to 2m high with maximum dimensions of 35m north-south by 24m east-west. 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 a number of mature trees growing upon the edge of the monument, High Billinge bowl barrow survives reasonably well. It is not known to have been excavated and will therefore retain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 12th February 1958 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Cheshire 27 NAME: High Billinge round barrow, Utkinton The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 23705 NAME: High Billinge bowl barrow SCHEDULING REVISED ON 23rd September 1994