Bowl barrow 660m south west of Woodland Barton

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 disturbance as a result of localised quarrying, the bowl barrow 660m south west of Woodland Barton survives very well, and will retain information about its construction and use. The barrow's quarry ditch will retain stratified deposits, while the primary burial is likely to be intact. Buried remains will also survive beneath and between the areas disturbed by later quarrying. Barrows of this size are uncommon in Devon, this one having the highest mound in the region.

Details

This monument includes a large Late Neolithic to Bronze Age bowl barrow, sited on the end of a north west to south east spur, with broad views to the south and east. The mound is unusually well-preserved and is oval in form, being 47m wide from east to west by 62m from north to south. It is 3m high and has traces on its west side of an encircling ditch, which is 6m wide and 0.2m deep. An outer bank also survives on the western side. This is 6m wide and stands up to 0.2m high. A hedgebank crosses the north side and beyond it, a large quarry pit has cut into the barrow. This is 33m wide from east to west, by 23m north to south and 2m deep. A low waste tip, measuring 17m wide by 0.8m high, lies on the barrow's eastern side. A building within the quarry pit is excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath it 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:

33756

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
MPP fieldwork by R Robinson, (1988)
MPP fieldwork by R Waterhouse, (1999)

End of official list entry

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