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.
Part of the bowl barrow on Colaton Raleigh Common 850m north west of the
Stowford House survives well, while the western portion was excavated in 1930,
providing details of the barrow's construction and use. The surviving portion
will contain further remains which may serve to enhance our understanding of
this barrow and the landscape in which it was built.
Details
The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow situated close to the summit of
a south east facing spur and one of a number located in the area on the
commons of Colaton Raleigh, Woodbury, Bicton, and Aylesbeare.
The western part of the barrow was excavated to ground level but the
barrow mound, which has a matrix of large and small pebbles within a dark
earth, survives on its eastern side to a height of 0.8m, 5m wide and 10.4m
long north-south. The excavation, which took place in 1930, provided
detail about the mound's construction: the stony matrix of the mound
sealed an ashy clay layer which in turn sealed an off-centre pit which
produced a barbed and tanged flint arrowhead and several sherds of pottery.
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.
