Details

This monument includes a bowl barrow situated in a prominent location near
the summit of a south east facing ridge overlooking the valley of Huntacott
Water. The barrow forms part of a round barrow cemetery which includes at
least seven barrows and a ring ditch. This barrow survives as an oval shaped
mound measuring 20.1m long north east to south west by 14.1m wide north west
to south east and stands up to 0.8m high. The ditch from which material to
construct the mound was quarried surrounds the barrow and survives as a buried
feature c.3m wide.
The north western side of the mound has seen limited damage as a result of
a road and ditch being cut through it.
Another barrow lying 110m to the south east is the subject of a separate
scheduling (SM 28613).

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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.

Despite limited damage as a result of road construction, the bowl barrow 280m
north east of Beacon Moor Cross survives comparatively well and contains
archaeological and environmental information relating to the round barrow
cemetery and the surrounding landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS61NE7, (1982)
MPP fieldwork by H. Gerrard, (1995)

Source: Historic England