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Two bowl barrows 550m north 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: 50.9322 / 50°55'55"N

Longitude: -3.8435 / 3°50'36"W

OS Eastings: 270549.140045

OS Northings: 116368.348216

OS Grid: SS705163

Mapcode National: GBR L1.PD4C

Mapcode Global: FRA 26VN.0GF

Entry Name: Two bowl barrows 550m north of Challacombe Cross forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Horridge Moor

Scheduled Date: 5 June 1972

Last Amended: 7 February 1997

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1015956

English Heritage Legacy ID: 28628

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 two bowl barrows on Horridge Moor aligned north east-
south west and lying in a prominent location on a south east facing ridge
overlooking the valley of Huntacott Water. These two barrows form part of a
round barrow cemetery which includes at least seven mounds and a ring ditch.
The bowl barrows survive as two mounds immediately adjacent to each other, and
both are surrounded by now buried quarry ditches from which material was
derived during their construction. The northernmost measures 24.4m in diameter
and 1.1m high. A hollow in the centre of the mound suggests early part
excavation or robbing. The second mound lies 4m to the south west of the first
and survives as a circular mound with a diameter of 17.6m standing up to 0.9m
high.
The other barrows forming this barrow cemetery 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 part excavation and limited damage to one of the mounds as a result of
track construction, the two bowl barrows on Horridge Moor lying 550m north
of Challacombe Cross survive comparatively well and contain archaeological and
environmental information relating to the mounds and the surrounding
landscape. These mounds form part of a round barrow cemetery which includes at
least seven barrows and a ring ditch.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS71NW4, (1988)
MPP fieldwork by H. Gerrard, (1995)
MPP fieldwork by H. Gerrard, (1995)

Source: Historic England

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