Bowl barrow 470m east of Fortescue

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 having been spread by cultivation, the barrow 470m east of Fortescue retains a visible and sizeable mound and its associated ring ditch. The barrow will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was built.

Details

The monument includes the maximum recorded extent of a Bronze Age bowl barrow situated on low lying ground just to the east of the River Exe. The barrow mound has been partly spread by cultivation but it retains a height of about 1.5m and has a maximum diameter of 68m. The aerial observation in 1984 of a circular crop mark confirmed the below ground presence of a ring ditch from which material had been quarried for the construction of the barrow mound; this ring ditch, which also defines the original extent of the mound, had earlier been recorded with a diameter of 55m. The name of the nearby Burrow Farm is believed to derive from the presence of this barrow which is one of a number recorded in this area of the Exe valley.

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:

29675

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society in The Barrows of South and East Devon, Vol. 41, (1983), 43
Griffith, F M, Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society in Aerial Reconnaissance In Devon In 1984:, Vol. 42, (1984), 7

Other
Miller A, RCHME: AP Primary Recording Project, (1966)

End of official list entry

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