Huish Champflower Barrow

Reasons for Designation

Exmoor is the most easterly of the three main upland areas in the south western peninsula of England. In contrast to the others, Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, there has been no history of antiquarian research and little excavation of its monuments. However, detailed survey work by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England has confirmed a comparable richness of archaeological remains, with evidence of human exploitation and occupation from the Mesolithic period to the present day. Many of the field monuments surviving on Exmoor date from the later prehistoric period. Examples include stone settings, stone alignments, standing stones, and burial mounds (`barrows'). Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating to the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500BC. 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. Over 370 bowl barrows, varying in diameter from 2m to 35m, have been recorded on Exmoor. Many of these are found on or close to the summits of the three east-west ridges which cross the moor - the southern escarpment, the central ridge, and the northern ridge - whilst individual barrows and groups may also be found on lower lying ground and hillslopes. Those which occupy prominent locations form a major visual element in the modern landscape. Their considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.



Despite the mound having been disturbed by a partial excavation, Huish Champflower Barrow survives comparatively well and is known to contain archaeological deposits and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. Additionally, it is one of a number of bowl barrows which occupy prominent positions on or near a well-defined and linear east-west alignment along the ridge of the Brendon Hills.

Details

The monument includes Huish Champflower Barrow, a bowl barrow located 720m north east of Tone Farm, on the summit of a broad ridge which extends along the Brendon Hills area of Exmoor. The barrow is formed by an irregular round mound 21m in diameter and approximately 1.6m high which is surrounded by a later rubble stone wall. A partial excavation carried out in 1903 demonstrated that the prehistoric mound was surrounded by a bank which at a later date was faced with stone on its outer slope thereby forming a revetment wall. It has been recorded that this modification took place around 1830 when the mound was planted with larch and a ring of beech trees planted on the earth-topped wall. The partial excavation also revealed a number of loose stones, some up to 0.6m in height, within the mound and also layers of charcoal nearer to the surface which may indicate that the barrow had been used as a beacon. It was also suggested that a shallow depression surrounding the barrow is associated with the wall construction. The post-medieval enclosure wall is included in the scheduling.

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:

35313

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Archaeology of Exmoor, (1970), 64,147
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of Somerset Archaelogical & Natural History Society in Somerset Barrows, Vol. 113, (1969), 34

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