Details

The monument includes the maximum recorded extent of a Bronze Age bowl barrow
situated on low lying ground just to the east of the River Exe.
The barrow mound has been partly spread by cultivation but it retains a height
of about 1.5m and has a maximum diameter of 68m. The aerial observation in
1984 of a circular crop mark confirmed the below ground presence of a ring
ditch from which material had been quarried for the construction of the barrow
mound; this ring ditch, which also defines the original extent of the mound,
had earlier been recorded with a diameter of 55m. The name of the nearby
Burrow Farm is believed to derive from the presence of this barrow which is
one of a number recorded in this area of the Exe valley.

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 having been spread by cultivation, the barrow 470m east of Fortescue
retains a visible and sizeable mound and its associated ring ditch. The barrow
will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the
monument and the landscape in which it was built.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Griffith, F M, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in Aerial Reconnaissance In Devon In 1984:, , Vol. 42, (1984), 7
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Barrows of South and East Devon, , Vol. 41, (1983), 43
Other
Miller A, RCHME: AP Primary Recording Project, (1966)

Source: Historic England