More information : NB: This site was originally part of SS 73 NW 6 but has been separated and given a new NMR number to aid clarification.
SS 7062 3910 A barrow prominently situated at about 465m above OD, on the south western end of the hill ridge between Shoulsbarrow Common on the north and Castle Common on the south. It lies in predominantly rough grass and scattered heather covered enclosed ground on a gentle south west facing slope, within the north east corner of Shoulsbury Castle (See SS 73 NW 6). It has panoramic views north to the Chapman, Longstone and Wood Barrows; south westwards to Barnstaple Bay; south to Dartmoor; and south east to Setta Barrow, Five Barrows and Two Barrows. However the view to the north east is blocked by the rising ground of the hill crest which is occupied by an OS Triangulation Pillar some 80m away. The Challacombe / Brayford Parish Boundary runs through the centre of the barrow (2).
The barrow survives as a mainly heather covered gutted mound 11.5m in overall diameter and 1.2m in maximum height. Probing suggests it is composed of earth and stone. It has been robbed, or crudely 'excavated', leaving a central hollow about 6m NW/SE by 5m and 1.5m deep. Spoil from the hollow has been dumped around its rim, mainly in the north east almost obscuring the flat summit of the barrow, which is about 8m in diameter and creating an irregular false top which adds some 0.4m to its height of 0.8m. There are traces of a surrounding ditch, about 1.3m wide and 0.1m maximum depth, evidenced by a shallow rush filled band mainly around the eastern half.
This barrow was shown, unnamed, on the Ordnance Survey 1889 map(a), was omitted from the 1904 Revision (2) but was resurveyed by the Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division surveyor in 1973(3).
NOTE
There are several different spellings of the name Shoulsbarrow (see SS 73 NW 6). It may be that this is the original Shoul's Barrow which gave its name to Shoulsbarrow Common and also Shoulsbarrow Castle. It seems anomalous to have two different spellings to what is obviously the same basic name and it would be more sensible (despite the comment in SS 73 NW 6) to refer to this barrow as Shoul's Barrow and the earthwork as Shoulsbarrow Castle as it was on the 1904 Ordnance Survey (2).
Shoulsbarrow (sic) Castle is a Scheduled Monument, Devon County No:49 (4) but it is not clear if this barrow has been included in that scheduling. (5)
The round barrow described above is clearly visible on aerial photographs as a low earthwork lying within the walls of Shoulsbarrow Castle (see NMR UID 35025) (6)
|