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Summary

A round barrow cemetery, in which some of the barrows are arranged in a linear formation, some are clustered in groups or pairs. They represent the southernmost barrows within the Farway/Gittisham/Broad Down Bronze Age necropolis.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017642: Round barrow cemetery on Broad Down
• SHINE: Prehistoric barrow on Broad Down

Other References/Statuses

• Old SAM County Ref: 241
• Old SAM Ref: 29634
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BARROW CEMETERY (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

Ministry of Public Building and Works, Southleigh and Fairway Group of Barrows on Broad Down (Schedule Document). SDV342868.

The southern section of a Bronze Age Cemetery, extending to Farway Hill and Gittisham Hill. All are round barrows without visible ditches; 13 more or less intact, others recently destroyed by deep cultivation. Ground previously cultivated in early 19th century.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1998, Round Barrow Cemetery on Broad Down (Schedule Document). SDV342874.

The monument, which falls into eight areas, includes a round barrow cemetery, in which some of the barrows are arranged in a linear formation, some are clustered in groups or pairs, and others are relatively isolated. The barrows occupy a position on the 1 kilometre square expanse of Broad Down, above the River Sid, towards the southern end of the Greensand plateau which stretches from the Blackdown Hills to the South Devon coast; they represent the southernmost barrows within the Farway/Gittisham/Broad Down Bronze Age necropolis.
The barrows survive as earthworks and below ground remains recorded over the years by way of excavation, field observations and survey. Some of the barrows retain clearly visible mounds whilst others have been levelled by cultivation. The focus of the cemetery in terms of its visual aspect is provided by a group of seven bowl barrows in linear formation aligned north-south over a distance of 220 metres with no more than 35 metres between any two of the mounds. All of these barrows, with the exception of the southernmost, lie north of the east-west road which bisects Broad Down. The three northernmost barrows of the linear group all have visibly defined mounds and have not suffered from the same degree of ploughing as others in the group, although one of them has a deep unfilled antiquarian excavation trench running across it. The remainder have been reduced in height whilst the rim of the southernmost barrow is barely visible at ground level. The height of the mounds within the linear group varies between 0.15 metres and 1.5 metres and their diameter varies between 12.5 metres and 27 metres; at least one of the group was found to have had a surrounding quarry ditch and was reported in excavation as having an overall diameter of 36 metres. To the west of the linear group, in a field known as Seven Barrow Field, is a further group of at least six barrows clustered close together but in no obvious formation. The height of the barrow mounds in Seven Barrow Field varies between 0.2 metres and 1.7 metres which represents the highest survival in the cemetery as a whole. The diameter of their mounds varies between 14 metres and 34 metres; at least one of the group has evidence for a surrounding quarry ditch which is visible as a slight depression around the mound. The remainder of the barrows in the cemetery are in groups of two or three or are now apparently single barrows. These barrows vary in height between 0.06 metres and 1 metre and between 7.4 metres and 40 metres in diameter. At least 11 of the barrows in the cemetery have been partially excavated - the majority of these by Kirwan in the 1860s and 1870s. The excavations revealed a variety of construction techniques for the mounds associated with different types of cremation burials sometimes within a central stone cist. Recovered grave goods included shale cups and at least one socketed bronze axe. Evidence for secondary burials was quite frequently reported.
Excluded from the scheduling is all fencing, gates and gate posts and metalled surfaces, although the ground beneath these features is included.

Exeter Archaeology, 2002, Ball Hill (Site Visit). SDV351833.

Site visit on 5th April 2002, to ploughed area on Ball Hill adjacent to barrows [on north-eastern side of cemetery]. No finds were recovered or features identified. None of the barrows appear to have been affected.

English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West, 96 (Report - non-specific). SDV342694.

English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West, 87 (Report - non-specific). SDV344777.

Extensive significant problems i.e. under plough, collapse. Principal vulnerability arable ploughing.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects (Cartographic). SDV359714.

A series of earthwork mounds of varying sizes are visible.

Sims, R., Knight, S. & Houghton, E., 2020-2021, East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment (Interpretation). SDV363914.

The majority of recorded barrows are visible as earthwork mounds of varying sizes on images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Steinmetzer, M., 2021, Monitoring and recording on land near Wiscombe Grange, Southleigh, Devon (Report - Watching Brief). SDV364683.

No archaeological deposits, features or finds were found during an archaeological watching brief undertaken during works associated with the creation of a manege at Wiscombe Grange which lies at the southern end of the barrow cemetery. The only finds were two sherds of 19th-early 20th century pottery recovered from the topsoil.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV342694	Report - non-specific: English Heritage. 2009. Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West. English Heritage Report. A4 Bound +Digital. 96.
SDV342868	Schedule Document: Ministry of Public Building and Works. Southleigh and Fairway Group of Barrows on Broad Down. The Schedule of Monuments. Foolscap.
SDV342874	Schedule Document: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 1998. Round Barrow Cemetery on Broad Down. The Schedule of Monuments. A4 Stapled. [Mapped feature: #104987 ]
SDV344777	Report - non-specific: English Heritage. 2010. Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West. English Heritage Report. Digital. 87.
SDV351833	Site Visit: Exeter Archaeology. 2002. Ball Hill. Digital.
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital.
SDV363914	Interpretation: Sims, R., Knight, S. & Houghton, E.. 2020-2021. East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment. Digital.
SDV364683	Report - Watching Brief: Steinmetzer, M.. 2021. Monitoring and recording on land near Wiscombe Grange, Southleigh, Devon. Oakford Archaeology. OA1810. Digital.
	Linked documents:1

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8340 - East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment
• EDV8765 - Archaeological monitoring and recording on land near Wiscombe Grange, Southleigh (Ref: OA1810)

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