The earliest burial mound here is a long barrow, raised between 4000-3000BC. Unusually, it is aligned in a north-south direction. Most commonly, long barrows run in an east-west direction.

This long barrow is located at the eastern end of the Cursus, a huge earthwork, possibly a processional route for the dead.

The majority of the tombs on King Barrows are bowl barrows on a north-south alignment but there are also two bell barrows.