Record Details

NHER Number:6737
Type of record:Monument
Name:Rowhow Hill

Summary

A Bronze Age bowl barrow named Rowhow Hill is depicted as an earthwork on historic maps. It was excavated by G.J. Chester in the 19th century. He encountered a series of burnt deposits within the mound, below which a cremation and four jet beads were found at the level of the natural soil. The barrow was levelled in 1933 and subsequently ploughed. Its remains are visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 2199 3846
Map Sheet:TG23NW
Parish:ROUGHTON, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Bowl barrow spaded and spread 1933 by Mr Thurston, Heath Farm.
Unequal growth of corn over site June 1936.
R.R. Clarke (NCM).

Marked on (S1).

Site still visible as dark cropmark circle.
Undated comment on (S2).

No sign in pasture.
A.J. Lawson (NAU) 2 February 1976.

D.o.E confirms site still scheduled in letter 1984.

Excavated by G. Chester in 1849. See (S3) and (S4).
Produced ash, charcoal, mass of burnt bones with four jet beads embedded in bone mass (two jet beads in BM PRBA 91 4-18 4,5 ex A. W. Franks 1891, 'found amongst burnt bones, Roughton barrow, Cromer' probably same).
In (S4) account Franks speaks of 'a mound scarcely raised a foot above surrounding heath…an immense urn shaped like a pie dish.' filled with burnt bones and remains of a bronze pin 'the extreme friability of this vessel rendered its removal utterly impossible'. Almost certainly not Rowhow Hill, mentioned separately, but which of the other barrows then? 3 fragments collared urn in NCM (called overhanging rim urn with twisted impression by R.R. Clarke; NCM 495.960 ex G. J. Chester, (S5) - 'from Roughton Heath' - not same as piedish' unless only collar remained, in which case why did Chester say 'immense urn'? But bronze pin/awl would fit collared urn. Suggests at least one burial in Heath is Early Bronze Age.
(S6) describes 'hammerstone, woodash, jet beads, burnt human remains and pottery' as all coming from Rowhow Hill - probably typical (S6) confusion.
See also NHER 6735 and 6740 for other finds from barrow group.
Other sources beside above are (S7) (not checked),(S8) (Cromer), (S9) ('Cromer'), (S10) (?jet from local boulder clay) (not checked), (S11).

For Saxon beads formerly under this number see NHER 21031.
E. Rose (NAU) using notes by E.B. Green (NAU) 9 January 1984.

June 2004, Norfolk NMP.
NMP mapping has led to the alteration of the central grid reference of the site from TG 2199 3849 to TG 2200 3846.

The round barrow described above is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs (S12), centred at TG 2200 3846. It is one of several Bronze Age barrows which survived on Roughton Heath until the 19th and 20th century. Like round barrows NHER 38664 and NHER 6735 to its north-west, Rowhow Hill lies on the 70m OD contour line on the western edge of the heath, overlooking the valley of Hagon Beck to the west.

The barrow mound is visible as a sub-circular negative cropmark measuring up to 20m wide. Given that no outer ditch is visible, this is larger than most of the other round barrows mapped on the former heath, corresponding with Chester's description of the site as the largest tumulus on Roughton Heath (S4). A large positive cropmark at the centre of the mound probably represents the trench excavated by Chester.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 11 June 2004.

Monument Types

  • BOWL BARROW (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • CREMATION (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • ROUND BARROW (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)

Associated Finds

  • BEAD (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • PIN (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)

Protected Status

  • Scheduled Monument

Sources and further reading

---Designation: [unknown]. Ancient Monuments Form. SAM Record. DNF24.
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 23 NW 5.
---Publication: Longworth, I. H. 1984. Collared Urns: Of the Bronze Age in Great Britain and Ireland. No 968.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. Roughton [3].
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Map: Ordnance Survey. 1824-1836. Ordnance Survey First Edition 1 inch..
<S2>Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
<S3>Article in Serial: 1850. Proceedings at the Meetings of the Archaeological Institute. The Archaeological Journal. Vol VII pp 172-198. pp 190-191.
<S4>Article in Serial: Chester, G. J.. 1859. Account of the Discovery of Ancient British Remains, Near Cromer. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol VI pp 263-267. pp 263-267.
<S5>Publication: Norwich Castle Museum. Catalogue of Antiquities in Norwich Castle Museum. No 328.
<S6>Monograph: Bryant, T. H. 1900. Hundred of North Erpingham. Vol V. p 76.
<S7>Publication: Evans, J. 1897. The Ancient Stone Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain. 2nd Edition. p 463.
<S8>Monograph: 1901. The Victoria History of Norfolk. The Victoria History of the Counties of England. Vol 1.
<S9>Article in Serial: Clarke, W. G. 1913. Norfolk Barrows. The Antiquary. Vol XLIX pp 416-423. p 419.
<S10>Publication: Elgee. 1930. NE Yorks. p.114.
<S11>Monograph: Lawson, A. J., Martin, E., Priddy, D. and Taylor, A. 1981. The Barrows of East Anglia. East Anglian Archaeology. No 12.
<S12>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1606 2146-7 27-JUN-1946 (NMR).

Related records - none

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