Three barrows near Town Hill Barn

Summary

Two bowl barrows and an enclosure 520m north east of Hogleaze Farm.

Reasons for Designation

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. The two bowl barrows and enclosure 520m north east of Hogleaze Farm survive comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction, relative chronologies, interrelationships, function, date, territorial significance, social organisation, ritual, funerary and agricultural practices, and overall landscape context.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 7 January 2016. 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, which falls into three areas, includes two bowl barrows and an enclosure situated on the summit of the prominent Town Hill overlooking the dry valley of Long Bottom. The barrows survive as circular mounds surrounded by buried quarry ditches from which the construction material was derived. The mounds vary in size from 15m up to 18m in diameter and from 1.5m up to 1.8m high. One has a slightly elongated appearance and the other has a flattened top. The enclosure survives as a semi-circular bank measuring up to 1.6m high. The south eastern side has been cut by a farm yard. Possible interpretations for the enclosure have included a saucer barrow, building platform or animal pound.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

DO 316

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-453655

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry