Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

A bowl barrow 120m south west of Ring-in-the-Mire, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Gittisham Hill

A Scheduled Monument in Sidmouth, Devon

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 50.7562 / 50°45'22"N

Longitude: -3.2009 / 3°12'3"W

OS Eastings: 315389.820178

OS Northings: 95864.1986

OS Grid: SY153958

Mapcode National: GBR P9.BR8R

Mapcode Global: FRA 4752.YLD

Entry Name: A bowl barrow 120m south west of Ring-in-the-Mire, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Gittisham Hill

Scheduled Date: 10 April 1996

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1014246

English Heritage Legacy ID: 27401

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Sidmouth

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Church of England Parish: Sidbury with Sidford

Church of England Diocese: Exeter

Details

The Gittisham Hill barrow cemetery is situated in south east Devon, 8km
south of Honiton, on the high ground of an extensive Greensand plateau where
it forms the watershed of the south-flowing River Sid. The monument includes a
single bowl barrow situated within an area of heathland on level ground at the
west end of a ridge.
The barrow consists of a fairly level platform, 32m in diameter and c.0.3 in
height, with part of its perimeter formed by a slightly raised bank, most
prominently on the north east side where it is 7m in length and c.0.4m in
height. The barrow does not appear to have been surrounded by a ditch.
The upper part of the barrow mound was removed for field dressing in the
mid-19th century, when it was described as being composed of peaty turves and
soil. The centre of the base of the mound was subsequently investigated by
antiquarians who failed to locate evidence of funerary remains

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 Gittisham Hill barrow cemetery comprises the western area of one of the
most extensive and densest concentrations of barrows in Devon. Limited
archaeological excavations of some of the barrows in this concentration have
revealed that they show a remarkable diversity in size and form, and in the
nature of their funerary contents.
This barrow is one of 13 which form the Gittisham Hill barrow cemetery.
Although the barrow mound has been partly removed and has been further
disturbed by excavation, buried features will survive which will provide
archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the construction and use
of the monument.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Fox, A, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Broad Down (Farway) Necropolis, , Vol. 4, (1952), 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)
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

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.