Three bowl barrows 545m east of Cupper's Piece

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.

Despite limited plough damage, the three bowl barrows 545m east of Cupper's Piece survive comparatively well and contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the barrows and their surrounding landscape. The outer bank partly surrounding one of the mounds is an unusual feature. These barrows form part of a group lying on the watershed between the Rivers Taw and Torridge.

Details

This monument includes three bowl barrows situated on an exposed hilltop on the watershed between the River Torridge to the west and River Taw to the east. The western barrow survives as an oval, flat topped mound measuring 25m long east to west by 20m long north to south and standing up to 0.7m high. A slight hollow in the centre of the mound may represent robbing or an early part excavation. The ditch from which material was derived to construct the mound is preserved as a buried feature c.2m wide. The southern barrow is the largest of the three and survives as a prominent oval mound which measures 29.5m long from east to west, 24.3m long from north to south and is 0.9m high. The ditch from which material to build the mound was derived survives as a buried feature, except to the north where it is 3.9m wide and 0.3m deep. Sitting on the outer edge of the ditch is a section of outer bank measuring 3.4m wide and up to 0.2m high. The north eastern barrow survives as an oval flat topped mound. It measures 22.3m long from east to west, 20.9m long from north to south and is 0.6m high. The ditch from which the material used to construct the mound was derived survives as a buried feature, and the ground appears to be particularly waterlogged on the southern side, thus indicating the position of the ditch.

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:

28605

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS51SE3-03, (1984)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS51SE3-02, (1984)
MPP fieldwork by H. Gerrard, (1995)

End of official list entry

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