Details

The Farway Hill barrows are situated in south east Devon on the high ground
of an extensive Greensand plateau in an area some 8km south of Honiton where
it forms the watershed of the River Sid. These funerary monuments are grouped
around Farway Castle, a substantial circular earthwork enclosure which is
believed to be contemporary.
The monument includes three of ten bowl barrows which together make up the
Farway Hill round barrow cemetery. They are aligned north west/south east and
are situated on the crest of a ridge to the immediate south east of Farway
Castle.
To the south east is a bowl barrow of slightly oval plan, 18m east/west by
16m north/south, 1.5m in height, with steep sides and a flatter, rounded top.
Exposed peaty soil on the southern sector of the mound contains flinty stones
up to 15cm in size.
In the centre is a bowl barrow 12m in diameter and 1.6m in height, with
steep sides and a flatter, rounded top. Exposed peaty soil on the north west
sector of the mound contains flinty stones up to 10cm in size. There is a
shallow intrusion in the top of the mound, possibly representing an
antiquarian excavation.
To the north west is a bowl barrow 15m diameter and 1.3m in height, with an
even rounded profile. In several places on the mound peaty soil is exposed
which contains flinty stones up to 30cm in size. There is no evidence of a
ditch at any of the three barrows.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

The Farway Hill barrows, a number of which form the barrow cemetery,
comprise the central section of the most extensive and densest concentration
of barrows in Devon. Their association with Farway Castle adds additional
depth to this relict ritual landscape. Limited archaeological excavations of
some of the barrows have revealed that they have a remarkable diversity in
size and form, and in the nature of their funerary contents.
These three barrows survive in good condition, despite evidence of the
partial excavation of one of the mounds, and form an integral part of the
barrow cemetery.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Fox, A, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Broad Down (Farway) Necropolis, , Vol. 4, (1948), 1-19
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Barrows of South and East Devon, , Vol. 41, (1983), 5-46
Hutchinson, , 'Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association' in Report on Barrows near Sidmouth, , Vol. 12, (1880)
Hutchinson, , 'Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association' in Report on Barrows near Sidmouth, , Vol. 12, (1880)
Hutchinson, , 'Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association' in Report on Barrows near Sidmouth, , Vol. 12, (1880)
Simpson, S, Noble, S, 'Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit Report' in Archaeological Survey & Management Study of Areas of E Devon, , Vol. 93.38, (1993)

Source: Historic England