Summary

Bowl barrow 100m south of Brockenburrow Farm.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 16 November 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the south western slopes of Higher Down overlooking the valley of a tributary to the River Bray. The bowl barrow survives as a circular mound which measures up to 26m in diameter and 1m high. The surrounding quarry ditch from which material to construct the mound was derived is preserved as a buried feature. The ditch and mound have been partially cut on the eastern side by a road called Brockenburrow Lane and is crossed by a field boundary.

Further archaeological remains in the vicinity are scheduled separately.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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. Despite having been partially cut by a lane the bowl barrow 100m south of Brockenburrow Farm survives comparatively well and doubtless has leant its name to the lane and farm. It will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, territorial significance, funerary and ritual practices and its overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-34736

Source: Historic England