Bowl barrow 300m north west of Witheridge Moor Cross (west)

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 partial excavation and limited recent interference, the bowl barrow 300m north west of Witheridge Moor Cross (west) survives comparatively well, in a prominent location and contains archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and its surrounding landscape. This barrow is one of four which line this ridge.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a prominent upland ridge known as Witheridge Moor. It is the easternmost of a group of four barrows which straddle this ridge. The monument survives as a circular mound which measures 37m in diameter and is 1.8m high. The surrounding ditch from which material to construct the mound was derived survives as a buried feature, approximately 5m wide. An excavation trench crosses the centre of the mound in a east to west direction and measures 4m wide and 0.7m deep. Within this trench a further more recent square trench has been excavated which cuts down a further 0.6m and is approximately 1.5m square. The mound also has fairly pronounced ridges running across it in a north to south direction, which measure approximately 0.1m high. The post and wire fence surrounding the barrow is excluded from the monument, although the ground beneath is included.

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:

32211

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS81NE7, (1987)

End of official list entry

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