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.
Details
The monument includes two bowl barrows centred 45m apart on an E-W axis, each
surviving as a low earthen mound, 30m in diameter and 0.5m high, in an arable
field. Both barrows were partially excavated in 1870. In the eastern barrow,
the excavation revealed the mound's layered construction, possibly using
turves, though no burials or grave goods were recovered. The excavation of
the western barrow also revealed a layered mound, of sand, clay and peat,
covering a central cremation burial accompanied by a copper-alloy pin and a
small grooved-and-rivetted dagger, a small decorated pottery cup, a necklace
of shale and fossil beads and a quantity of carbonised wheat. The burial and
grave goods were themselves covered by a circular heap of burnt clay and
ashes, probably the remains of a central burial structure. These barrows form
the central and easternmost of an E-W linear group of three barrows, locally
called the `Three Barrows', spaced 10-25m apart along the S crest of a low
ridge. Their position overlooks the centre of the area covered by the Upton
Pyne barrow group, which comprises over thirty recorded barrows dispersed
about a low-lying alluvial basin north of the confluences of the River Exe
with the Rivers Culm and Creedy. Within the overall group, barrows occur both
as isolated examples and forming localised clusters, some linear such as this
example. Grave goods and a radiocarbon date derived from the few partly-
excavated barrows in the group indicate burials during the early and middle
Bronze Age (around 2000 - 1000 BC). All of the upstanding barrows in this
group present the appearance of unditched bowl barrows, the absence of ditches
being supported by aerial photographic evidence and confirmed for all examples
that have been excavated.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
15014
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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 Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
