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Summary

Northernmost of a group of four barrows forming part of the Farway Hill cemetery. Visible as a circular earthwork mound on images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010277: Four bowl barrows divided by the B3174, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Farway Hill

Other References/Statuses

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 134689
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY19NE/19
• Old SAM County Ref: 129B
• Old SAM Ref: 24963
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SY19NE9A

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Fox, A., 1948, The Broad Down (Farway) Necropolis and the Wessex Culture in Devon, 17 (No. 19) (Article in Serial). SDV123165.

Barrow nearest Farway Castle. 60 feet diameter, 4 feet high. Hutchinson's No. 35.

Ministry of Works, 1951, Farway Group of Barrows on Farway Hill, 129B (Schedule Document). SDV345586.

[Part of] the central section of a Bronze Age cemetery. South of Farway Castle. Bracken covered. 60 feet diameter, 5 feet high. Hutchinson's 36A.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1975 - 1983, SY19NE9A (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV345598.

Site visit: 11th November 1975. Ditchless. Diameter 20 metres, height 0.9 metres.
Site visit: 8th February 1982. Bracken covered barrow with no visible ditch. Diameter 18.0 metres, heigh 0.7 metres with steep sides and a flat top. Other details: Plan.

Silvester, R., 1977, Untitled Source (Worksheet). SDV345591.

Site visit: 27th April 1977. Good condition. Two or three broad-leafed trees, brambles and fern. Close to track.

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 (No. 8) (Article in Serial). SDV337013.

Heath. Diameter 20 metres and height 1 metre.

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, Barrow (Worksheet). SDV345601.

Site visit: 1st September 1991. Covered in brambles, gorse, ferns and a few young trees. Appears undisturbed.

Simpson, S. J. + Noble, S., 1993, Archaeological Survey and Management Study of Areas on Gittisham Hill, Farway Hill, and Broad Down, East Devon, 20 (Report - Survey). SDV123162.

Deteriorating. Some old forestry ridging may have cut into the skirt of the mound. A forestry track to the south is now blocked by fallen trees and an alternative path has been created crossing south side of barrow. This is also used as a bridleway. Otherwise covered with bracken, scrub and some young trees.

Gibbons, 1993, Untitled Source, mPP/AI 134689 (Un-published). SDV345585.

Bowl barrow 18 metres in diameter and 1 metre in height with an even, rounded profile. There is no evidence of a ditch. Old animal burrows are present within the mound and the ridging of the forestry plantation impinges on the north-east side of the base of the mound. A forestry track runs between this barrow and the adjacent barrow [to the south]. This distance between the barrows is 14 metres.

Department of National Heritage, 1995, Four Bowl Barrows Divided by the B3174, Forming Part of a Round Barrow Cemetery on Farway Hill (Schedule Document). SDV345587.

[The northernmost of a group of] four of ten bowl barrows which together make up the Farway Hill round barrow cemetery. They are aligned north-south and are situated on the crest of a ridge to the immediate south-east of Farway Castle. The B3174 runs between the middle two barrows in this group. At the northern end is a bowl barrow 18 metres in diameter and 1 metre in height with an even, rounded profile. There is no evidence of a ditch at any of the four barrows.
The Farway Hill barrows, a number of which form the barrow cemetery, comprise the central section of the most extensive and densest concentration of barrows in Devon. Their association with Farway Castle [a substantial circular earthwork believed to be contemporary] adds additional depth to this relict ritual landscape. Limited archaeological excavations of some of the barrows have revealed that they have a remarkable diversity in size and form, and in the nature of their funerary contents. These four barrows form an integral part of the barrow cemetery. Two of the barrows survive in good condition, and although the other two have been partially disturbed by road construction, and one by partial excavation, a significant proportion of their buried features remain intact, including the old land surface which will contain evidence of the past environment.

Exeter Archaeology, 2003-2004, East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Archaeological Survey, Site No. 577 (Archive - Survey). SDV351568.

Barrow 18m diameter X 1m high. Scheduled Monument.
SMR.

English Heritage, 2010, Management Agreement in Respect of Four Bowl Barrows Divided by the B3174, Forming Part of a Round Barrow Cemetery on Farway Hill (Correspondence). SDV345588.

Agreement between English Heritage and the Occupier regarding the management of the site by the Occupier for a period of three years. See agreement schedule for details.

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

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR SY1695 Bluesky International DTM APR-JUN 2016 (exact date unknown) (Cartographic). SDV359714.

A 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 barrow is visible as a circular earthwork mound circa 22m across on images derived from lidar data captured in 2016. The mound is most clearly discernible in its south-west part, its north-east side having suffered from possible erosion.

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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