Two bowl barrows 210m and 600m north west of Brown Down Cottage

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 two bowl barrows located 210m and 600m north west of Brown Down Cottage form part of a larger group of barrows collectively known as Robin Hood's Butts. The most western of the two survives well and, despite the mound of the barrow to the south east having been reduced by ploughing, both contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the wider landscape in which they were constructed.

Details

The monument, which falls into two separate areas, includes two bowl barrows forming part of a group of nine round barrows known as Robin Hood's Butts, located on Brown Down in the eastern region of the Blackdown Hills. These barrows are aligned broadly ESE to WNW. The mound of the barrow to the west is 38m in diameter, approximately 1.5m high and is surrounded by a ditch 3m wide with an average depth of 0.4m. The barrow to the east survives as an irregular rise in the ground level, but was previously recorded as 23m from east to west and 18.5m from north to south. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. This has become infilled over the years and survives as a buried feature approximately 2.5m wide, giving the barrow a maximum overall diameter of 28m.

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:

32166

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of Somerset Archaelogical & Natural History Society in Somerset Barrows, (1969), 37
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of Somerset Archaelogical & Natural History Society in Somerset Barrows, (1969), 37

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