Two bowl barrows 550m north of Challacombe Cross forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Horridge Moor

Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Despite part excavation and limited damage to one of the mounds as a result of track construction, the two bowl barrows on Horridge Moor lying 550m north of Challacombe Cross survive comparatively well and contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the mounds and the surrounding landscape. These mounds form part of a round barrow cemetery which includes at least seven barrows and a ring ditch.

Details

This monument includes two bowl barrows on Horridge Moor aligned north east- south west and lying in a prominent location on a south east facing ridge overlooking the valley of Huntacott Water. These two barrows form part of a round barrow cemetery which includes at least seven mounds and a ring ditch. The bowl barrows survive as two mounds immediately adjacent to each other, and both are surrounded by now buried quarry ditches from which material was derived during their construction. The northernmost measures 24.4m in diameter and 1.1m high. A hollow in the centre of the mound suggests early part excavation or robbing. The second mound lies 4m to the south west of the first and survives as a circular mound with a diameter of 17.6m standing up to 0.9m high. The other barrows forming this barrow cemetery are the subject of separate schedulings.

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:

28628

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
MPP fieldwork by H. Gerrard, (1995)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS71NW4, (1988)
MPP fieldwork by H. Gerrard, (1995)

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