Three bowl barrows 470m south west of Berry Down Cross, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Berry Down

Reasons for Designation

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Despite reduction in height through cultivation, the three bowl barrows 470m south west of Berry Down Cross survive comparatively well, and will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the barrows and their surrounding landscape. They also form part of a round barrow cemetery on Broad Down.

Details

This monument, which falls into three separate areas of protection includes three bowl barrows situated on a prominent upland ridge known as Berry Down, overlooking the valley of a tributary to the River Yeo. These three barrows form part of a round barrow cemetery, of which seven barrows survive in all. The other barrows in the area which form part of the round barrow cemetery are the subject of separate schedulings. The northernmost barrow survives as a circular mound 22.2m in diameter and 0.7m high. It is surrounded by a quarry ditch from which material to construct the mound was derived, which measures approximately 3m wide and is preserved as a buried feature. The western barrow is a circular mound 29.3m in diameter, 0.8m high and with a buried quarry ditch approximately 3m wide. The eastern barrow measures 20.5m in diameter, 0.6m high and is very stoney in nature, littered with quartz rich rocks and with a slightly hollow top. This mound is surrounded by a buried quarry ditch approximately 3m wide.

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:

34251

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS54SE13, (1982)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS54SE7, (1981)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS54SE6, (1981)

End of official list entry

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