Three bowl barrows 250m south east of Gibbet Moor Cross

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 three bowl barrows 250m south east of Gibbet Moor Cross survive comparatively well, despite reduction in their heights through cultivation, and will contain archaeological information relating to the construction and use of the monument and also environmental evidence concerning the surrounding landscape.

Details

This monument includes three bowl barrows situated on a ridge overlooking the valley which marks the source of the River Dart. The barrows survive as circular mounds in a linear arrangement, aligned east to west. The barrows all have 2m wide surrounding quarry ditches from which material to construct the mounds was derived; for each barrow these are preserved as buried features. The ditches of the western and central barrows merge together; the eastern barrow is set a little further apart. The western mound measures 27.4m in diameter and is 1m high, the central barrow measures 27.1m in diameter and 0.5m high; and the eastern mound measures 23m in diameter and 0.8m high.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

32232

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS81NE5, (1982)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS81NE4, (1982)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS81NE3, (1982)

End of official list entry

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