Two bowl barrows on Bicton Common, 770m and 780m north of Frying Pans

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 some modification as a result of modern military activity the two bowl barrows on Bicton Common survive comparatively well. They are in an unusual setting on a valley slope and they stand in association with a number of other recorded barrows in the vicinity. Both barrows will retain archaeological information about their construction and the landscape in which they were set.

Details

The monument, which falls into two separate areas, includes two mounds shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1889; these mounds have been interpreted as Bronze Age bowl barrows. They are situated about 50m apart on Bicton Common just above Yettington Intakes. The barrows lie on the higher edge of a gentle south facing valley slope that was created by a small stream which feeds the Budleigh Brook. Both mounds are just over 1m high. The westernmost mound has a diameter of 5.5m whilst its companion to the east has a diameter of 4.6m. The western mound has a slight flattening of its dome whilst the dome of the eastern mound has a central flattened area about 1.7m in diameter. They are each surrounded by a ditch 0.7m wide and 0.4m deep which in each case is bridged by a compacted turf causeway on the northern side of the mound. The causeway on the westernmost mound is about 1.3m wide and extends back from the mound for a distance of about 4.7m, whilst that on the easternmost mound is about 1m wide and extends back from the mound for a distance of 2m. The surrounding ditches and causeways, and the flattened appearance of the mounds, are all believed to be the result of modification of the barrows, perhaps for use as gun emplacements, which took place when the area was utilised as a military training ground and firing area in World War II.

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:

29648

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Southwell, C, An Archaeological Survey of Woodbury Common, (1980)
Griffiths, D, DCC Cons. Dept. Survey of Mineral Areas, (1982)
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society in The Barrows of South and East Devon, (1983), 28
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society in The Barrows of South and East Devon, (1983), 28

Other
Probert, S A J, RCHME Field Investigation, (1990)
Probert, S A J, RCHME Field Investigation, (1990)

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