Details

The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow known as Row Barrow, which is
situated on a broad flat area of ground on the south side of Long Lane at
Dunkeswell Turbury at the southern end of the Blackdown Hills. The land falls
away steeply into the upper reaches of the Wolf Valley about 500m south of the
barrow.
The barrow mound stands about 2m high with a diameter of 31m and is of rounded
appearance with a flat top. There is a partly infilled but visible trench 2m
wide and 10m long on the south east side of the mound; however, there is no
record of excavation and the trench may be the result of antiquarian
investigation.

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.

Despite evidence for partial antiquarian excavation, Row Barrow survives well
and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the
monument and the landscape in which it was built. The fact that the barrow has
its own place name indicates that it was recognised as a feature of the
landscape in the early historic period. A survey of the Blackdown Hills
completed in 1992, recorded some 50 barrows and cairns which together will
provide a detailed insight into settlement of the area in the Late Neolithic
to Late Bronze Age period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Proc Devon Arch Soc' in The Barrows of North Devon, , Vol. 28, (1970), 117

Source: Historic England