Details

The monument, which falls into two separate areas, includes two Bronze Age
bowl barrows aligned broadly east-west and situated about 140m apart on
Aylesbeare Common immediately north of the A3052. Both barrows lie on high
ground near the summit of Harpford Hill and they command views in all
directions. The western barrow is 2m high and 16.5m across with a rounded
profile and an encircling ditch 1.6m wide and 0.2m deep. The mound of the
barrow has a matrix of dark earth and pebbles. The eastern barrow is 1.6m high
and 20.6m across with a flat top and an encircling ditch 1.4m wide and 0.3m
deep.

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.

These two bowl barrows on Aylesbeare Common are well preserved examples set in
a commanding position clearly visible from the surrounding area; they stand in
association with a number of other recorded barrows in the area. Both of the
barrows will retain archaeological information about their construction and
use, and the landscape in which they were built.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Barrows of South and East Devon, (1983), 28
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Barrows of South and East Devon, (1983), 28

Source: Historic England