Bowl barrow 400m north-west of Starve Lark Farm
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1008077
- Date first listed:
- 21-Jul-1933
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 13-Jan-1994
Map
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Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Somerset
- District:
- Mendip (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Priddy
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 53091 56075
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. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl
barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring
across most of lowland Britain. 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
and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.
The bowl barrow 400m north-west of Starve Lark Farm survives comparatively
well and, despite an area of localised disturbance possibly caused by a
previous partial excavation, contains archaeological and environmental
evidence relating both to the monument and the landscape in which it was
constructed. The monument survives in an area which contains a concentration
of contemporary burial monuments, thus giving an indication of the nature and
scale of human occupation during the Bronze Age period.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow located on level ground 400m north-west of
Starve Lark Farm. It is visible as a mound 20m in diameter and 2.75m high at
its highest point. A slight central depression may mark the site of a
previous excavation although no details are known.
A ditch, from which material was quarried during the construction of the
monument, surrounds the barrow mound. This has become partially infilled over
the years but is visible as a slight depression 3.5m wide and c.0.3m deep on
the north and west sides and survives elsewhere as a buried feature.
A post-and-wire fence which crosses the barrow mound is excluded from the
scheduling although the ground beneath it is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 13934
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Grinsell, L, 'Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural Hist Soc' in Somerset Barrows Part II, , Vol. Vol 115, (1971), p. 102
Tratman, E K, 'University of Bristol Speleological Society' in Barrow Catalogue, ()
Tratman, EK, 'Proceedings of the Univ of Bristol Speleological Society' in Proceedings of the University of Bristol Speleological Society, , Vol. Vol 3(1), (1927), p. 31
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official listing