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. Despite some reduction in the heights of the mounds through past cultivation, the four bowl barrows 725m ESE of Wears Farm survive well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction, relative chronologies, territorial significance, social organisation, ritual and funerary practices and overall landscape context.
Details
The monument, which falls into four areas of protection, includes four bowl barrows situated along the summit of the prominent coastal ridge of Wears Hill. The barrows survive as circular mounds. They are surrounded by buried quarry ditches, from which the construction material was derived. The barrow mounds vary in size from 12m up to 16m in diameter and from 1.1m up to 2m high. One has a flattened top.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
DO 394
Legacy System:
RSM - OCN
End of official list entry
