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Summary

Bowl barrow 340 metres north-west of Farway Castle, forming part of a dispersed barrow group on Farway Hill. Visible as a small earthwork mound on images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010268: Bowl barrow 340m north west of Farway Castle, forming part of a dispersed barrow group on Farway Hill
• SHINE: Prehistoric bowl barrow north-west of Farway Castle

Other References/Statuses

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 134694
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY19NE/13
• Old SAM County Ref: 129A
• Old SAM Ref: 24968
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SY19NE6

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BOWL BARROW (Late Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

Office of Works, Tumuli on Farway Hill, near Honiton (Schedule Document). SDV344791.

One of two small tumuli marked on the Ordnance Survey six inch map, which appear to have escaped the notice of the late P.O. Hutchinson, as they do not coincide with any number given on his map.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

Fox, A., 1948, The Broad Down (Farway) Necropolis and the Wessex Culture in Devon, 17 (Article in Serial). SDV123165.

One of two cairns of flint, diameter 12 feet, height 1.5 feet. The adjoining barrow flattened by the plough (annotation indicates both cairns not visible in 1948). Other details: Fox no 17,.

Ministry of Works, 1951, Farway Group of Barrows on Farway Hill (Schedule Document). SDV343238.

The central section of a Bronze age cemetery. All are round barrows. Small adjoining barrow not visible. Diameter 21 feet, height 1.5 feet. Hutchinson 34a.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1975 - 1980, SY19NE6 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV344783.

Site visit 10th November 1975. A spread flint cairn. Diameter 6 metres, height 0.3 metres. It remains under plough. No trace of the adjacent cairn.
Site visit 8th February 1982. Barrow C. A much ploughed cairn, currently under new pasture 7.0 metres north-south, 5.5 metres east-west, height 0.3 metres. Flints exposed in the top. Unable to trace barrow B at SY15909582. Other details: Plan.

Robinson, R., 1982, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1982 (Un-published). SDV345608.

Site visit by Department of Environment Field Monument Warden on 24th May 1982.

Grinsell, L. V., 1983, The Barrows of South and East Devon, 33 (Article in Serial). SDV337013.

Site visit 7th July 1972. Grass. Flint cairn. Diameter 7 metres and height 0.3 metres. Grinsell mentions that Fox's number 17 was a flint cairn destroyed in 1949 which had a diameter of 3.7 metres and height 0.4 metres. Other details: Barrow 6.

Robinson, R., 1986, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1986 (Un-published). SDV345664.

Site visit by Department of Environment Field Monument Warden on 6th March 1986.

Robertson, W. I., 1991, Two Cairns (Worksheet). SDV344789.

Site visit 1st September 1991. Cairn C, 9 metres by 8 metres by 0.30 metres high. Just discernible under grass cover. A few flints exposed in the top, no other disturbance. Large flint at centre.

Simpson, S. J. + Noble, S., 1993, Archaeological Survey and Management Study of Areas on Gittisham Hill, Farway Hill, and Broad Down, East Devon, 19 (Report - Survey). SDV123162.

Site visit 2nd November 1992. Much eroded by ploughing but present state stable under pasture. Further ploughing could destroy barrow completely. Other details: Figures 7-8.

Gibbons, P., 1993, Bowl Barrow 340 Metres North-west of Farway Castle, Forming Part of a Dispersed Barrow Group on Farway Hill, 134694 (Un-published). SDV344792.

Site visit 4th November 1993. Bowl barrow with a symmetrical mound, 11 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres in height. There is no evidence of a ditch. Some 5 flinty stones up to 15 centimetres in size protrude through the turf on the mound, although the field itself consists of a stony soil. Fox reported it to be a cairn of flint. The barrow has been reduced in height as a result of past ploughing activity, Fox reported that it had been flattened by plough recently (circa 1948). It is believed that buried features and the old land surface remain intact below the mound. Previous field workers have recorded the mound as being of similar height, but smaller in diameter: Quinnell 7 metres by 5.5 metres; Grinsell, 7 metres; Fox, 3.7 metres. These anomalies appear to derive from the difficulty in defining the edge of the mound which can be seen to be larger when the barrow is viewed from a distance.

Department of National Heritage, 1995, Bowl Barrow 340 Metres North-west of Farway Castle, Forming Part of a Dispersed Barrow Group on Farway Hill (Schedule Document). SDV344793.

The Farway Hill barrows are situated in south-east Devon on the high ground of an extensive Greensand plateau in an area some 8 kilometres south of Honiton where it forms the watershed of the River Sid. These funerary monuments are grouped around Farway Castle, a substantial circular earthwork enclosure which is believed to be contemporary. The monument is situated on the west side of the crest of the ridge, and includes a bowl barrow with a low symmetrical mound, 11 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres in height. There is no evidence of a ditch. Some five flinty stones up to 15 centimetres in size protrude through the turf on the mound. The barrow has been ploughed over in the past. Although the surface of this barrow has been disturbed by ploughing, a significant proportion of the buried features remain intact, including the old land surface which will contain evidence of the past environment. This barrow forms an integral part of the wider group.

Exeter Archaeology, 2003-2004, East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Archaeological Survey, Site No. 564 (Archive - Survey). SDV351568.

Barrow c. 11m dia. x c. 0.3m high. Smaller barrow adjoining at SY 1590 9582, possibly destroyed. Scheduled Monuments.
SMR.

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

Generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems. Principal vulnerability arable ploughing.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 90 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems. Declining. Principal vulnerability arable ploughing.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR SY1595 Bluesky International DTM 30-APR-2016, 04-MAY-2016 and 27-JUN-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

A small circular earthwork mound is visible.

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

The barow is visible as small circular earthwork mound circa 7m across on images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8340 - East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment

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