Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow, later adapted as a woodland feature,
sited near the edge of the steep west facing scarp which overlooks the River
Otter. The barrow, which survives as a ditched circular platform with a rim,
was reportedly one of a number of barrows in the same area which were recut in
the early 19th century in order to provide ornamental enclosures for tree
planting. The re-shaped mound of the barrow takes the form of an above ground
platform about 1.3m high with a surrounding rim 0.4m high. This is in turn
surrounded by a ditch 2.4m wide which is partly infilled but is about 0.6m
deep.
All fencing and fence posts are excluded from the scheduling although the
ground beneath these features is included.

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.

The bowl barrow at Lee's Plantation will contain buried archaeological and
environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it
was built. Its adaptation as a landscape feature in the early 19th century
gives the barrow an added and unusual dimension.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Barrows of South and East Devon, , Vol. 41, (1983), 40
Other
Hutchinson, P O, Diaries (unpublished), 1854,
Title: Ordnance Survey
Source Date: 1982
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England