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Summary

A bowl barrow of probable Bronze Age date is located to the northeast of Starved Oak Cross, Brampford Speke. Excavations in 1967 showed the barrow to be originally 18 metres diameter and perhaps circa 3.6 metres high. Finds included 4 urns, 2 of which contained bone, flints, a hone stone and quartz pebbles. The site of the barrow is clearly visible on aerial photographs and digital images derived from Lidar data as a cropmark of a ring ditch and low earthwork mound.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010633: Bowl barrow 210m NE of Starved Oak Cross
• SHINE: Bronze Age bowl barrow north east of Starved Oak Cross

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 448149
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX99NW/21
• Old SAM County Ref: 248B
• Old SAM Ref: 15018
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX99NW6

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BOWL BARROW (Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 1001 BC (Between)) + Sci.Date

Full description

Unknown, Brampford Speke Barrow 1 (Plan - measured). SDV348571.

Unknown, Brampford Speke Barrow 1 Profile (Plan - measured). SDV348572.

National Monuments Record, SX9198, 7,15 (Aerial Photograph). SDV341811.

Aerial photograph shows a definite ring ditch cropmark (citing Miller).

Kirwan, R., 1871, The Prehistoric Archaeology of East Devon, 641 (Article in Serial). SDV135842.

Parfitt, E., 1880, Exploration of Barrows in the Parish of Upton Pyne, 120 (Article in Serial). SDV341901.

Ancient Monuments, 1951, 2 Barrows E of Stevenstone Cottage (Schedule Document). SDV341899.

80 feet diameter and 2 feet high. Has been heavily ploughed down and is rather shapeless.

Pollard, S. H. M. + Russell, P. M. G., 1969, Excavation of Round Barrow 248b, Upton Pyne, Exeter, 49-75 (Article in Serial). SDV341840.

Excavation showed the diameter of the barrow to be 18m, and the original height postulated as at least 3.6m. Structure consisted of a sand core, containing the deposits, covered in turn by a turf envelope, a layer of leached silty sand and an outer envelope of clay. The deposits were four urns, one in a cist, two cremations and three scattered deposits of oak charcoal. Urns dated to 1550-1450 BC or a little later. 21 flints found and a hone stone. Seven irregular quartz pebbles in the soil beneath. No evidence of any adult burial. Only two of the urns contained bone, and neither cremation had any identifiable fragments.

Fox, A., 1969, The Upton Pyne Cemetery, 77 (Article in Serial). SDV341856.

Other details: Barrow No. 1.

Fox, A., 1973, South West England 3,500BC - AD600 (Revised Edition), 86 (Monograph). SDV16216.

Excavations in 1967 by the Devon Archaeological Society revealed ritual offerings in pots associated with infant burials. At the centre a pot with lug handles containing burnt infant bones and charcoal had been inverted on the old ground surface and then covered with a heap of sand: nine feet away a collared urn of early type was placed in a small sunk stone cist and two other urns of southwest type, with lugs and twisted decoration, were put beside it on the ground. Close by in a small scoop there was a deposit of charcoal on which burnt bones of an infant had been laid. There was nothing in any of the three pots except charcoal and a black substance, probably decayed grass or herbs. All the pots must be contemporary, because they were quickly covered by the barrow, which consisted of three distinct layers, a core of sand, a heap of turves and a final covering of the local permian red soil.

Pollard, S. H. M. + Russell, P. M. G., 1976, Radiocarbon Dating. Excavation of Round Barrow 248b, Upton Pyne, Exeter, 95 (Article in Serial). SDV341897.

A radiocarbon date of 3336 plus or minus 53 bp (circa 1386 bc - uncalibrated) obtained from oak charcoal from urn 4.

Devon Committee for Rescue Archaeology, 1979 - 1981, North Devon Barrow Survey, Exe Valley Barrow No. 1 (Archive - Survey). SDV341310.

Site visit 22/11/1979. Excavation trenches from 1968 visible. Shape of barrow badley altered by excavation and ploughing. A gully to the south and a bank to the west are old field boundaries. Diameter of barrow 34.0 metres, height averages 1.0 metre. Other details: Survey drawing (1:200) and profile.

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

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1982 - 2002, SX99NW6 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV341896.

1. Barrow (B) 80 feet diameter, 2-3 feet high. Ploughed and spread.
2. Site visit 26/07/1962. A very spread mound. No trace of a ditch.
3. Excavated in 1967. Finds included a cremation, burnt bones and chracoal with three urns of Trevisker affinities and an urn within a cist. Urns dated circa 1550-1450BC.
4. Site visit 09/02/1982. Barrow reduced by ploughing. 28 metres diameter and 0.5 metres high and noticeabley excavated in its top. Currently under pasture. Other details: Barrow B. Plans and photo.

Grinsell, L. V., 1983, The Barrows of South and East Devon, 28-29 (Article in Serial). SDV337013.

Under pasture. Spread by former ploughing. Diameter between 32.0 and 18.5 metres. 0.8 metres high.

DCC, 1984, DAP 3553, DAP 3553/03 16-JUL-1984 (CG) (Aerial Photograph). SDV359180.

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

Griffith, F. M., 1984, DAP/AY, 10A (Aerial Photograph). SDV96554.

Annular cropmark recorded from air.

Griffith, F. M., 1984, DAP/CG, 3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV267548.

Robinson, R., 1987 - 2000, Devon Post-Reconnaissance Fieldwork Project (Un-published). SDV342165.

Site visit 03/03/1990. Low mound. Other details: Photos N 33-35.

English Heritage, 1991, Bowl Barrow 210m NE of Starved Oak Cross (Schedule Document). SDV341900.

Bowl barrow surviving as a low mound, 30 metres diameter and 0.5 metres high, in an arable field. It has surface irregularities caused by the removal of field boundaries than formerly crossed it, leaving a shallow trough to the south and a slight bank to the west, while a central depression derives from partial excavation in 1967. Evidence from barrows excavated elsewhere suggests there is a high probability that more burials are located in the outer layers around the mound periphery. Situated on a gentle southwest facing flope in a broad shallow valley and is one of a loose concentration of barrows near the centre of the area covered by the Upton Pyne barrow group of more than 30.

Coles, B. J., 1991, Untitled Source (Photograph). SDV341902.

Miller, A., 1996, RCHME Aerial Photograph Primary Recording Project (Interpretation). SDV53184.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR SX9198 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

A low mound was visible as an earthwork.

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

Site visit by B. Horner and C. Vulliamy 06/02/2002. Field currently under cereal crop. Low mound still visible.

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, 95 (Report - non-specific). SDV342694.

Bowl barrow 210 metres north-east of Starved Oak Cross. Extensive significant problems, i.e. under plough, collapse.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SX9198 22-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

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

English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West, 86 (Report - non-specific). SDV344777.

Condition declining, principal vulnerability arable ploughing.

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

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 88 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

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

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

A barrow of Bronze Age date was visible on aerial photographs and digital images derived from Lidar data as a cropmark of a ring ditch and low earthwork mound, approximately 220 metres north-east of Starved Oak Cross, Brampford Speke.
The cropmark of the ring ditch is incompletely visible on the photographs available to the survey, obscured on its eastern edge by modern agricultural marks. The visible cropmark is up to 3 metres in width and defines a roughly circular enclosed area on average 25 metres in diameter. The mound was visible as a pale oval cropmark circa 30 by 33 metres in size on digital images captured in 2010. The mound material appears to have been spread over the enclosing ditch, most notably towards the north-east. The mound was visible only as a very low earthwork on digital images derived from lidar data.

Horner, B., 2018, Barrow 248b, Upton Pyne, fifty years on, 1-3 (Article in Serial). SDV363494.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV135842	Article in Serial: Kirwan, R.. 1871. The Prehistoric Archaeology of East Devon. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 4. Unknown. 641.
SDV16216	Monograph: Fox, A.. 1973. South West England 3,500BC - AD600 (Revised Edition). South West England. Hardback Volume. 86.
SDV267548	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1984. DAP/CG. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 3.
SDV337013	Article in Serial: Grinsell, L. V.. 1983. The Barrows of South and East Devon. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 41. Paperback Volume. 28-29.
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. 1.
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.
SDV341811	Aerial Photograph: National Monuments Record. SX9198. National Monuments Record Aerial Photograph. Unknown. 7,15.
SDV341840	Article in Serial: Pollard, S. H. M. + Russell, P. M. G.. 1969. Excavation of Round Barrow 248b, Upton Pyne, Exeter. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 27. Paperback Volume. 49-75.
SDV341856	Article in Serial: Fox, A.. 1969. The Upton Pyne Cemetery. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 27. Paperback Volume. 77.
SDV341863	Personal Comment: Horner, B.. 2002. Not Applicable.
SDV341896	Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division. 1982 - 2002. SX99NW6. Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card. Card Index.
SDV341897	Article in Serial: Pollard, S. H. M. + Russell, P. M. G.. 1976. Radiocarbon Dating. Excavation of Round Barrow 248b, Upton Pyne, Exeter. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 34. Paperback Volume. 95.
SDV341899	Schedule Document: Ancient Monuments. 1951. 2 Barrows E of Stevenstone Cottage. The Schedule of Monuments. Foolscap.
SDV341900	Schedule Document: English Heritage. 1991. Bowl Barrow 210m NE of Starved Oak Cross. The Schedule of Monuments. A4 Stapled.
SDV341901	Article in Serial: Parfitt, E.. 1880. Exploration of Barrows in the Parish of Upton Pyne. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 12. Unknown. 120.
SDV341902	Photograph: Coles, B. J.. 1991. Photograph (Paper).
SDV342165	Un-published: Robinson, R.. 1987 - 2000. Devon Post-Reconnaissance Fieldwork Project. Devon Post-Reconnaissance Fieldwork Project. A4 Unbound.
SDV342694	Report - non-specific: English Heritage. 2009. Heritage at Risk Register 2009: South West. English Heritage Report. A4 Bound +Digital. 95.
SDV344777	Report - non-specific: English Heritage. 2010. Heritage at Risk Register 2010: South West. English Heritage Report. Digital. 86.
SDV348571	Plan - measured: Unknown. Brampford Speke Barrow 1. Plan + Digital.
SDV348572	Plan - measured: Unknown. Brampford Speke Barrow 1 Profile. Plan + Digital.
SDV355280	Report - non-specific: English Heritage. 2011. Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West. english Heritage. Digital. 88.
SDV356259	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Imagery SX9198 22-MAY-2010.
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 SX9198 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014.
SDV359180	Aerial Photograph: DCC. 1984. DAP 3553. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). DAP 3553/03 16-JUL-1984 (CG).
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.
SDV363494	Article in Serial: Horner, B.. 2018. Barrow 248b, Upton Pyne, fifty years on. Devon Archaeological Society Newsletter. 129. A4 Stapled + Digital. 1-3.
SDV53184	Interpretation: Miller, A.. 1996. RCHME Aerial Photograph Primary Recording Project. RCHME Aerial Photograph Primary Recording Project. Map (Paper).
SDV96554	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1984. DAP/AY. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 10A.

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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