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 partial early excavation and slight damage to its north west side by a
clayworks road, the bowl barrow at Emmets Post survives well. Its mound may
contain remains of a burial, while buried ditches will contain archaeological
and environmental information relating to the barrow and the landscape in
which it was constructed.
Details
This monument includes a bowl barrow of Late Neolithic to Bronze Age date,
located on a level hilltop with wide views across the Upper Plym Valley to
the north west. The barrow survives as a low mound measuring 12m in
diameter and up to 1.5m high, with a 2m wide, 4m long and 0.4m deep oval
depression in the centre, most likely representing excavation in
antiquity. Although no longer visible at ground level, a quarry ditch,
some 2m wide, will encircle the mound, surviving as a buried feature. A
19th century boundary stone, Listed Grade II, inserted into the south side
of the mound bears the letters SM on its west side and LM on its east,
denoting the boundary between the setts of the Shaugh Moor and Lee Moor
china clay companies.
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.