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A bowl barrow and ring ditch 700m WNW of Challacombe Cross, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Horridge Moor

A Scheduled Monument in Chulmleigh, Devon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.9302 / 50°55'48"N

Longitude: -3.8512 / 3°51'4"W

OS Eastings: 270000.345687

OS Northings: 116164.460204

OS Grid: SS700161

Mapcode National: GBR L0.PQ64

Mapcode Global: FRA 26TN.3G5

Entry Name: A bowl barrow and ring ditch 700m WNW of Challacombe Cross, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Horridge Moor

Scheduled Date: 7 February 1997

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1015469

English Heritage Legacy ID: 28630

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Chulmleigh

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Church of England Parish: Chulmleigh St Mary Magdalene

Church of England Diocese: Exeter

Details

This monument includes a bowl barrow and ring ditch situated in a prominent
location on a south east facing ridge overlooking the valley of Huntacott
Water. These features form part of a round barrow cemetery which includes at
least six additional barrows. The barrow survives as a circular mound which
measures 21.8m in diameter and 0.6m high. Aerial reconnaissance has revealed
the presence of a double ditch surrounding the mound, giving an overall
diameter of 30m. These ditches are preserved as buried features.
The ring ditch lies 20m to the north west of the barrow and survives as a
15m diameter circular quarry ditch from which material to build a barrow was
derived. The central mound is no longer visible.
Two other barrows survive to the west and a further three to the east and
these are the subject of separate schedulings.

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.

Despite ploughing in the past, the bowl barrow on Horridge Moor lying 700m WNW
of Challacombe Cross survive comparatively well and contain archaeological and
environmental information relating to the barrows and the surrounding
landscape. They form part of a round barrow cemetery which includes at least
six additional barrows.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon Air Photo Project Sheet SS6916, (1988)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS61NE49, (1995)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS61NE51, (1995)
MPP fieldwork by H. Gerrard, (1995)

Source: Historic England

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