Monument record 1557/1 - Scheduled Bowl barrow and Bronze Age Cemetery Site

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ97NW1 1964 (Index). SCH2487.

Cairn cemetery found & partly excavated in 1808 in field adjoining Stockport to Macclesfield road

<2> Sainter J D, 1878, Scientific Rambles Round Macclesfield, p.4 (Book). SCH2964.

Found while searching for gravel.Some of cairns were 4ft high x 2ft diam & enclosed by a circle of large stones.All were covered by an earth mound 3ft thick.One cairn,the 'most elevated',was opened & contained an urn with burnt bones,covered by a flat stone with 3 or 4 boulders placed round it & poss with a peristalith.By side of the urn was a collection of human bones & small fragments of copper.The upper part of the cairn contained heat-cracked stones & calcined human bones. (See also source 3)

<3> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Vol 3, p.3, 537 (Book). SCH1389.

<4> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 71/38 Bu'lock J D 1961 (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

Urn described as a food vessel of Irish affinity - Abercromby type 1, now lost .

<5> Longley D, 1977-1978, Longley Archive, Site no.28 and 685 (Paper Archive). SCH2005.

Precise location of site unknown,although Tom Clare considers a sand quarry at SJ 90837804 as likely location.

<6> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, Vol 1, p.84 (Book). SCH3556.

<7> 1808, Manchester Volunteer (Book). SCH2091.

<8> Rowley G 1982, 1982, Macclesfield in Prehistory, p.22 (Book). SCH2062.

<9> Earwaker, J P, 1877-1880, East Cheshire Past & Present, p. 2 (Book). SCH1080.

<10> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Wilson D 1987 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

David Wilson reports slight earthworks which may correspond to this site in field bounded by the railway, London Road,and to the north of Bonis Hall Lane.

<11> Historic England, 2011, The National Heritage List for England, 1007379 (Web Site). SCH6528.

The monument is a bowl barrow located 60m north of the junction of London Road and Bonis Hall Lane. It includes a slightly oval earthen mound up to 1.3m high with maximum dimensions of 26m by 25m. Despite some spreading of the monument by past ploughing, the bowl barrow survives reasonably well. It will contain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath.

<12> Headland Archaeology, 2016, Poynton Relief Road, Poynton, Cheshire: Geophysical Survey, R4160, p.233 (Client Report). SCH8464.

An environmental statement was produced in 2016 for the proposed route of the Poynton Relief Road. As part of the archaeological study, a geophysical survey of the barrow, together with a hectare of land surrounding it, was undertaken. No conclusive evidence was found for the barrow although a cluster of anomalies identified in it's vicinity have been ascribed some archaeological potential. No other evidence for other barrows in adjacent fields was found. The lack of results may be due to insufficient magnetic contrast between the natural soil and any anthropogenic material present.

<13> Oxford Archaeology North, 2022, A523 Poynton Relief Road, Asset 35 Bowl Barrow, Cheshire East: Cultural Heritage Asset Management Plan, R4626 (Client Report). SCH9281.

A management plan was produced in 2022 for the bowl barrow as part of a programme of archaeological mitigation undertaken in support of the proposed Poynton Relief Road scheme. The eastern extent of the barrow will be affected by the construction of the highway earthwork but will be preserved in situ beneath the highway without the need for excavation or removal of the topsoil. Two areas to the north and south of the barrow were subject to excavation; a pit was recorded in the northern area and a pit and a ditch in the southern area, no dating evidence was found. A watching brief was also undertaken during works associated with the construction of the highway (see source 14).

<14> Oxford Archaeology North, 2022, A523 Poynton Relief Road, Asset 35 Bowl Barrow, Cheshire East: Archaeological Watching Brief Report, R4627 (Client Report). SCH9282.

An archaeological watching brief was also undertaken at the site of the barrow in 2022 as part of the programme of mitigation in advance of the construction of the Poynton Relief Road. The watching brief comprised the following:- monitoring of the covering of the scheduled monument area; monitoring of the installation of a new fence and gate; monitoring of the excavation of the existing highway embankment, including installation of new surface water drainage; and monitoring of the excavation of pits for the excavation of lamp posts. The protective covering layer was broken by the gate post and lamp post pits, as well as partially by the removal of the existing highway embankment and drainage excavations; all other works remained above the protective covering. There were no archaeological remains encountered during the works.