Details

The monument is a bowl barrow surviving as an earthen mound, 32m in
diameter and 1m high, in an arable field. There is no visible or
recorded evidence that it has ever been excavated, though several flint
artefacts have been recovered from its surface during survey. The
barrow is the easternmost of a line of four well-spaced barrows on a
low broad ridge overlooking a shallow trough at the centre of the area
covered by 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 the 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 modern fence crossing by the E side of
the barrow 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 has survived without any known previous disturbance
and presents one of the best-preserved visible profiles among the Upton
Pyne barrow group, whose unusual low-lying position, good overall
preservation, and quality of dating, constructional and artefactual
information 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-001,
Devon SMR entry for SX 99 NW-021, -026, -027 and -052,
Fox, A., South-West England, (1964)

Source: Historic England