Bowl barrow on south eastern side of Darracott Moor, 750m WSW of Belle Vue Lodge

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.

This barrow is one of a small dispersed group which is known from partial excavation to contain archaeological remains.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow 22m in diameter and 0.6m high. The barrow has been partly altered by ploughing in the past and is broader and lower than originally built. A ditch around the barrow, from which material was quarried during its construction has been obscured by ploughing. The barrow is at present under grass and is cut through on its north side by a boundary ditch. The barrow was partially excavated in the 19th century and an oblong central cairn was found to lie over a flat stone, beneath which lay a cremation in a pit.

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:

13602

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Doe, G, Trans Devonshire Assoc in Report on Barrows (1884), Vol. 16, (1884), 124-6
Grinsell, L V, Proc Devon Arch Soc in The Barrows of North Devon, Vol. 28, (1970), 119

Other
Ordnance Survey, OSA SS52SW2B,

End of official list entry

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