Bowl barrow on Lype Hill, 550m north west of Lype Farm

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 part of the mound surface having been disturbed by animal activity, the bowl barrow on Lype Hill, 550m north west of Lype Farm survives well and will contain archaeological deposits and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The monument would have formed a highly visual element in the prehistoric period with the mound dramatically emphasised by its ring of quartz blocks.

Additionally, it is one of a number of barrows which occupy prominent positions on or near a well-defined course along the Brendon Hills which is sometimes referred to as the Brendon Hills Ridgeway.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow of prehistoric date located on the summit of Lype Hill which forms western edge of the Brendon Hills, a broad ridge which dominates the eastern region of Exmoor. The barrow is formed by an earth covered mound with a diameter of 21m and a maximum height of 2m. A ring of white quartz blocks are set around the edge of the mound's summit providing what has been described as a `necklace'. An enclosing ditch surrounds the mound from which material was quarried for its construction, this survives as a depression approximately 0.4m deep and 2m wide. A large quartz block 1.3m in height is set adjacent to the north side of the barrow. The mound has an Ordnance Survey trigonometry pillar set into its surface.

All fencing, fence posts and OS trigonometry pillar are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features 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:

35701

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Riley, H, Wilson-North, R, The Field Archaeology of Exmoor, (2001), 37
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of Somerset Archaelogical & Natural History Society in Somerset Barrows, Vol. 113, (1969), 30

Other
SS 93 NE 1, National Monuments Record,

End of official list entry

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