Details

This monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the summit of a high hill
with extensive surrounding views overlooking the valleys of the River Lyd to
the south and a major tributary to the north.
The barrow survives as a 21.3m diameter mound standing up to 0.6m high.
There is a surrounding outer ditch which measures 2.7m wide and up to 0.2m
deep, although this survives mainly as a buried feature. Several larger stones
may be seen protruding from the mound which may indicate the presence of a
partially exposed kerb, and the whole surface is uneven.

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 on Galford Down survives comparatively well and contains
archaeological and environmental information relating to the monument and the
landscape in which it was constructed. The prominent position of this barrow
suggests that it may have also been a significant landmark in prehistoric and
later periods.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX48NE4, (1981)

Source: Historic England