Round barrow cemetery 240m north east of Lower Trebarrow

Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period. Despite reduction in the heights of the mounds through cultivation, the round barrow cemetery 240m north east of Lower Trebarrow survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the construction of each barrow, the 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 a round barrow cemetery, situated on the summit of a ridge forming the watershed between two tributaries of the River Tamar. The cemetery survives as a linear arrangement of circular mounds surrounded by buried quarry ditches, from which their construction material was derived. The barrows vary in size from 18m up to 24m in diameter and from 0.3m to 0.9m high. One is situated within a garden.

Sources: HER:- PastScape Monument No:-436472

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

CO 966

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

End of official list entry

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