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 surviving as a low mound, 25m in diameter and
0.4m high, also visible on air photographs, in a ploughed arable field.
Despite its low surface profile, extensive sub surface mound layers and intact
funerary deposits are considered likely to survive. As excavation of a nearby
barrow revealed, barrows in this group were terraced into the slope and have
been preserved by subsequent soil build-up. In addition, there is no visible
or recorded evidence that the barrow has been excavated and the deposits
should remain in an intact, undisturbed state. This barrow is situated on the
E slope of a very slight spur overlooking a broad shallow valley at 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 as 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 the
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.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
15023
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
