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Summary

A mound and surrounding ring ditch were visible as an earthwork and cropmark on aerial photographs of the 1990s near the tip of a south facing spur to the south of Bramble Lane, Upton Pyne. The mound and cropmark are probably evidence of a ditch enclosed round barrow of Bronze Age date, one of line of four on a low broad ridge which form part of the Upton Pyne Group of more than 30.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010645: Bowl barrow 500m W of Starved Oak Cross

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 448124
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX99NW/3
• Old SAM County Ref: 318C
• Old SAM Ref: 15026
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX99NW1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BOWL BARROW (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC (Between))
• RING DITCH (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Ancient Monuments, Upton Pyne, 4 Barrows, near Bramble Lane, 318C (Schedule Document). SDV341854.

[One] of four large mounds. All have been ploughed and spread. 90 feet diameter, 4 feet high.

Fox, A., 1969, The Upton Pyne Cemetery, 75,78 (Article in Serial). SDV341856.

Barrow (16) south of Bramble Lane. 80 feet diameter, 4 feet high. Spread by ploughing. The linear disposition of the group implies successive dynastic or family burials. Other details: No 16.

Balkwill, C. J., 1976, Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV341859.

Recently harrowed. Clearly visible. Height not obvious - less than that recorded. Other details: Taken from DCRA Barrow Index Card.

Unknown, 1976, Untitled Source (Archive - Survey). SDV341843.

Site visit 29/04/1976. Well defined. Formerly planted, now not used.

Unknown, 1979, Upton Pyne Barrow 16 (Plan - measured). SDV348569.

Devon Committee for Rescue Archaeology, 1979 - 1981, North Devon Barrow Survey, Exe Valley Barrow No. 16 (Archive - Survey). SDV341310.

Surveyed 31/10/1979. Rounded top, circular in shape. Differential vegetation growth may suggest possible ditch but natural slope of land to north and east emphasises slope on east side. Diameter 40 metres, height 0.74 - 1.3 metres. Two flints found. Survey and profile drawn. Other details: Survey drawing (1:200) + profile.

Allden, A., 1981, A Study of some Devon Barrows and their Diminishing Future (Report - non-specific). SDV339662.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1982 - 1991, SX99NW1 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV341838.

1. Barrows reported here by Shaw in 1934.
2. Site visit 02/08/1962. Barrow (B) spread by ploughing. 1.3 metres high.
3. Recorded by Fox as 80 feet diameter, 4 feet high. Spread.
4. Site visit 09/02/1982. Barrow (B) is currently ploughed. Diameter 38.0 metres, 1.1 metres high. Other details: Barrow B. Photo.

Devon County Council, 1990, DAP 11945, DAP 11945/14 25-JUL-1990 (TL) (Aerial Photograph). SDV359258.

A ring ditch was visible as a cropmark.

Griffith, F. M., 1990, DAP/TL, 14,15 (Aerial Photograph). SDV336946.

Department of Environment, 1991, Bowl Barrow 500m W of Starved Oak Cross (Schedule Document). SDV341860.

Bowl barrow surviving as an earthern mound, 40 metres in diameter and 1 metre high, in a ploughed arable field. No visible or recorded evidence that this barrow has ever been excavated, though several flints have been recovered from its surface during survey. Situated near the centre of a line of four well-spaced barrows on a low broad ridge overlooking a shallow valley at the centre of the area covered by the Upton Pyne barrow group, which comprises over thirty recorded barrows. Other details: Originally scheduled 16/02/1953..

Horner, B., 1995, DAP/XP, Devon County Council DAP/XP 17-18 27-JUN-1995 (Aerial Photograph). SDV321071.

A ring ditch was visible as a cropmark. Map object based partly on this source.

Miller, A., 1996, Untitled Source (Interpretation). SDV341852.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR SX9098 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014
& 14-20 Feb 2012 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

An earthwork mound was visible.

Devon County Council, 2000 - 2001, Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV341862.

Aerial photograph shows field occupied by free-range pigs.

Horner, B., 2002, Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV341863.

Site visit by B. Horner and C. Vulliamy 06/02/2002. Field currently arable. Mound still prominent with no obvious signs of pig damage.

Southwest Archaeology, 2008, Hurdles Farm, Upton Pyne, Exeter, Devon. Results of a Desk-Based Cartographic Assessment, 21 (Report - Assessment). SDV341805.

English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West, 99 (Report - non-specific). SDV342694.

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

English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West, 90 (Report - non-specific). SDV344777.

Bonnington, P., 2011, Earlier Bronze Age Cemetery Mounds and the Multiple Cremation Burial Rites in Western Britain, 84-87 (Article in Serial). SDV361498.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2014-2015, East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV356883.

A mound circa 37 metres in diameter enclosed by a surrounding ring ditch up to circa 2.5 metres wide were visible as an earthwork and cropmark on aerial photographs of the 1990s near the tip of a south facing spur to the south of Bramble Lane, Upton Pyne. The mound was most clearly definable on digital images derived from lidar data and may have been spread over ditch, particularly towards the south. The mound and cropmark are probably evidence of a ditch enclosed round barrow of Bronze Age date.
Many of the aerial photographs consulted by the survey are copies of DAPs held by the Historic England Archive. In some cases these have been recorded as separate sources. This is because variations in the way the prints have been processed could result in images on which archaeological features are visible to a greater or lesser degree.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV321071	Aerial Photograph: Horner, B.. 1995. DAP/XP. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). Devon County Council DAP/XP 17-18 27-JUN-1995.
SDV336946	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1990. DAP/TL. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 14,15.
SDV339662	Report - non-specific: Allden, A.. 1981. A Study of some Devon Barrows and their Diminishing Future. Devon Committee for Rescue Archaeology Publication. 10. A4 Stapled + Digital.
SDV341310	Archive - Survey: Devon Committee for Rescue Archaeology. 1979 - 1981. North Devon Barrow Survey. Devon Barrow Survey. Digital + Mixed Archive Material. Exe Valley Barrow No. 16.
SDV341805	Report - Assessment: Southwest Archaeology. 2008. Hurdles Farm, Upton Pyne, Exeter, Devon. Results of a Desk-Based Cartographic Assessment. Southwest Archaeology Report. 080313. A4 Stapled. 21.
SDV341838	Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division. 1982 - 1991. SX99NW1. Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card. Card Index.
SDV341843	Archive - Survey: Unknown. 1976. Student Survey. Map (Paper).
SDV341852	Interpretation: Miller, A.. 1996. RCHME Aerial Photograph Primary Recording Project. Digital.
SDV341854	Schedule Document: Ancient Monuments. Upton Pyne, 4 Barrows, near Bramble Lane. The Schedule of Monuments. Foolscap. 318C.
SDV341856	Article in Serial: Fox, A.. 1969. The Upton Pyne Cemetery. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 27. Paperback Volume. 75,78.
SDV341859	Personal Comment: Balkwill, C. J.. 1976. Card Index.
SDV341860	Schedule Document: Department of Environment. 1991. Bowl Barrow 500m W of Starved Oak Cross. The Schedule of Monuments. A4 Stapled.
SDV341862	Aerial Photograph: Devon County Council. 2000 - 2001. Vertical Colour. Unknown.
SDV341863	Personal Comment: Horner, B.. 2002. Not Applicable.
SDV342694	Report - non-specific: English Heritage. 2009. Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West. English Heritage Report. A4 Bound +Digital. 99.
SDV344777	Report - non-specific: English Heritage. 2010. Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West. English Heritage Report. Digital. 90.
SDV348569	Plan - measured: Unknown. 1979. Upton Pyne Barrow 16. Plan + Digital.
SDV356883	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2014-2015. East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV359177	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2014. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR SX9098 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 & 14-20 Feb 2012. [Mapped feature: #61486 ]
SDV359258	Aerial Photograph: Devon County Council. 1990. DAP 11945. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). DAP 11945/14 25-JUL-1990 (TL).
SDV361498	Article in Serial: Bonnington, P.. 2011. Earlier Bronze Age Cemetery Mounds and the Multiple Cremation Burial Rites in Western Britain. British Archaeological Reports. 548. Paperback Volume. 84-87.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4415 - Devon Barrow Survey
• EDV4428 - Desk-based Cartographic Assessment of a site at Hurdles Farm, Upton Pyne
• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)

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