Four bowl barrows on Burrington Moor lying 210m south west of Burrington Moor Cross

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 four bowl barrows on Burrington Moor lying 210m south west of Burrington Moor Cross survive comparatively well and contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the barrows and their surrounding landscape. These barrows form part of a group lying on the watershed between the Rivers Taw and Torridge.

Details

This monument includes four bowl barrows aligned broadly east-west, and situated on Burrington Moor on an exposed hilltop on the watershed between the River Torridge to the west and the River Taw to the east. Together, these barrows form part of a larger group which occupies this upland ridgeway between the two major river systems. The western barrow survives as a 1.7m high oval mound measuring 30.5m long from north to south by 28.8m wide from east to west. The ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the mound surrounds the barrow and survives as a buried feature c.4m wide, except on the northern and southern sides where a slight unsurveyable hollow is visible. The western central barrow survives as a 1.1m high oval shaped mound which measures 23.1m long from north to south by 17.2m wide from east to west. The quarry ditch survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The eastern central barrow survives as a 0.7m high oval shaped mound which measures 24.9m long from north to south by 22.9m wide east to west. Its quarry ditch survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. The easternmost barrow survives as an oval mound which has been cut on its eastern and western sides. It measures 12.6m wide from east to west and 16m long from north to south and is 0.5m high. The quarry ditch survives as a buried feature which partly underlies roadside ditches and banks. The metalled road surface and boundary banks are excluded from the monument, although the ground beneath 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:

28615

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS61NW4, (1987)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS61NW6, (1982)
MPP fieldwork by H. Gerrard, (1995)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS61NW5, (1982)
National Archaeological Record, SS61NW1,

End of official list entry

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