Round barrow NW of Harbourneford

Summary

Bowl barrow 375m SSE of Zempson Bridge.

Reasons for Designation

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and, because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards. The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, major land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land use through time. 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. 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. Despite reduction in its height through cultivation the bowl barrow 375m SSE of Zempson Bridge survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, social organisation, funerary and ritual practices and its overall landscape context

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 18 November 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the south facing gently sloping hill to the north west of Harbourneford. The barrow survives as a circular mound measuring up to 20m in diameter and 1m high. The surrounding quarry ditch from which material to construct the mound was derived survives as a buried feature up to 3m wide. The area surrounding the barrow has produced a large number of worked flints.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

DV 1012

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-444968

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