Details

The monument is a bowl barrow surviving as an earthen mound, 30m in diameter
and 2m high, at the edge of a deciduous plantation, the barrow's SE edge
truncated along the fence-line to the arable field beyond. There is no
visible or recorded evidence that this barrow has ever been subject to any
archaeological excavation, although debris from a badger set in the S part of
the barrow confirms a red soil/clay outer layer similar to that noted in other
excavated barrows nearby. This barrow is one of a relatively isolated pair,
spaced 70m apart, and is situated on the gentle SW slope of a low hill at the
eastern edge of the core area of the Upton Pyne barrow group. This group
comprises over thirty recorded barrows dispersed about a low-lying alluvial
basin north of the confluences of the River Exe with the Rivers Culm and
Creedy. Within the overall group, barrows occur both as isolated examples and
forming localised clusters. Grave goods and a radiocarbon date derived from
the few partly-excavated barrows in this group indicate burials during the
early and middle Bronze Age (around 2000 - 1000 BC) . All of the upstanding
barrows in this group present the appearance of unditched bowl barrows, the
absence of ditches being supported by air photographic evidence and confirmed
for all examples that have been excavated. The post-and-wire fence crossing
by the barrow's SSE side is excluded from the scheduling but the land beneath
it 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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

This bowl barrow is one of the best-preserved upstanding examples within the
Upton Pyne barrow group, and it has survived without previous archaeological
disturbance; tree roots and a badger set affect the barrow to only a limited
extent and depth, leaving a high likelihood of intact funerary deposits. The
unusual low-lying position of the Upton Pyne barrow cemetery, its good overall
preservation, and the quality of the dating, constructional and artefactual
information that it has already produced, have all resulted in its frequent
mention in national reviews of Bronze Age funerary monuments.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Todd, M, The South-West to A.D. 1000, (1987), 148-50
Other
Devon SMR entries for SX 99 NW-119 and -120,
Devon SMR entry for SX 99 NW-021,
Devon SMR entry for SX 99 NW-026 and -052,
Fox, A., South-West England, (1964)

Source: Historic England