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 is a bowl barrow which survives as an earthen mound, 40m in
diameter and 2m high, though it has been markedly truncated by plough-damage
across its NW edge. There is no visible or recorded evidence that this barrow
has been excavated. The barrow stands on a gentle SW-facing slope in the
floor of an alluvial basin, and is crossed slightly NW of its centre by a NE-
SW hedge-bank separating two arable fields and followed by the Upton
Pyne/Brampford Speke parish boundary. This barrow is one of a well-spaced
barrow group and is located 100-120m from its nearest neighbour, near the
centre of the area covered by the Upton Pyne barrow group. This group
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. 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 air photographic evidence and confirmed
for all examples that have been excavated. The modern hedge crossing the
barrow is excluded from the scheduling but the land beneath, including the
hedge-bank, is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
15017
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
