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Summary

Prehistoric round barrow with ditch, visible on images derived from lidar data captured in 2016 as a circular earthwork mound, surrounded by a ditch and partial bank to the north.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017475: Bowl barrow 310m south of Widworthy Barton
• SHINE: Prehistoric barrow south of Widworthy Barton

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SY29NW15
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 897716
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY29NW/67
• Old SAM County Ref: 967
• Old SAM Ref: 29631
• Pastscape: 897716

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

NMR, SY29NW 11 & 15, 11 & 15 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV100754.

Ancient Monuments, 1975, Untitled Source (Schedule Document). SDV100745.

Round barrow south of Widworthy Barton. Diameter 9m x 1.5m high. Ditch 3.5m wide x 0.9m deep. On the crest of a northwesterly facing slope, in woodland, but the trees have recently been felled from the barrow itself by the owner.

Grinsell, L. V., 1982, Letter (Correspondence). SDV100746.

This mound has a well-preserved ditch around it and might be an early 19C landscaping feature rather than a barrow. Repton's plans (c1830) of Widworthy Court show two conical hills in background. Diameter 11m x 1.5m high. Other details: Visited 24/4/1982.

Grinsell, L. V., 1983, The Barrows of South and East Devon, 44 (Article in Serial). SDV337013.

Robinson, R., 1983, Untitled Source (Site Visit). SDV100747.

DoE Field Monument Warden visit.

Robinson, R., 1986, Untitled Source (Site Visit). SDV120253.

Field Monument Warden visit.

Haydon, E. S., 1992, Untitled Source (Correspondence). SDV323978.

The various earthworks around the mound are consonant with the mound being a palisaded fort. It is unlikely to have been landscaped by Sir Edward Marwood-Elton to Repton's design as he was notoriously mean.

Salvatore, J. P., 1997, Untitled Source, MPP/144359. (Site Visit). SDV100749.

Bowl barrow with diameter 14m x 1.5m high. Ditch 2.1m wide, presumably partially infilled.

Exeter Archaeology, 2003-2004, East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Archaeological Survey, Site No. 848 (Archive - Survey). SDV351568.

Barrow south of Widworthy Barton. 14m dia. X 1.5m high with ditch. Scheduled Monument.
SMR.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 95 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Condition and trend unknown. Principal vulnerability forestry.

Historic England, 2015-2016, NRHE to HER prototype, 459981 (Website). SDV359652.

Summary description
A bowl barrow situated on the crest of a north facing slope overlooking the upper reaches of the Umborne Brook. The barrow, which appears to be an isolated example, is located south of Widworthy Barton in an area of old marlpits. It has a mound 1.5 metres high and 14 metres across. The mound is surrounded by a quarry ditch which has been partially infilled over the years. Scheduled.
Full description
Grinsell records a possible Bronze Age barrow, or an earthwork of later date, in Widworthy Wood, SY21369896. It is 11.0m across and 1.5m high. (1)
SY11369896. A barrow, south of Widworthy Barton on the crest of a north-west slope in an area of recently felled woodland. 9.0m diameter, 1,5m high, ditch 3.5m wide and 0.9m deep. Scheduled. (2)
The mound has a well-cut ditch and might easily be a landscaping feature rather than a barrow, It seems to be in alignment with the drive from Widworthy Court, (the work of george Stanley Repton, ca 1830). Visited 24-Apr-1982. (3)
SY21369896. A bramble-covered earthwork, situated at about 155m o.d., on a north-west slope of 1:10 which increases immediately beyond the northern edge of the mound. The top of the mound is flat, 6.0m across, but not level, since it follows the natural slope. Overall, to the bottom of the ditch it is 10.0m in diameter NE-SW, and 12.0m NW-SE, th eadditional 2.0m being due to spread on the downhill side where a berm replaces the ditch. here the mound is 1.3m high, elsewhere 0.9m high. The ditch is circa 3.0m wide and 0.7m deep.
The situation is odd for a barrow and, as Grinsell noted, the ditch is fairly sharp and unsilted. The mound is hemme din by higher ground, save to the north, where it is overloks Widworthy Barton. It is certianly not a mediaeval work and is in the wrong situation to represent a mill mound. Grinsell's suggestion that it is a landscaping featrure seems feasible, although more directly associated with Widworthy Barton than the 1830 Widworthy Court, from which it cannot be seen. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. (4)
Sources
1 Devon Archaeological Society proceedings 41, 1983
2 Scheduled Monument Notification 08/12/1997
3 VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION Grinsell LV: East Devon Barrows, MSS unpublished
4 Field Investigators Comments Field Investigator NV Quinnell, 11-Nov-1982
Monument types, periods and evidence
Bowl barrow: Bronze Age. Earthwork
Related monuments: None recorded
Related events: None recorded
Related archives/objects: None recorded
Compiler: Rod Fitzgerald 1992
Record created: Prior to 01/04/1999

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR SY2198 Bluesky International DTM 24-APR-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

A circular earthwork mound, surrounded by a ditch and partial bank to the north, is visible. Map object partly based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Map object partly based on this source.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England, 1017475 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

Bowl barrow 310 metres south of Widworthy Barton.
Reasons for Designation

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.
The bowl barrow south of Widworthy Barton survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was built.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the crest of a north facing slope overlooking the upper reaches of the Umborne Brook. The barrow, which appears to be an isolated example, is located south of Widworthy Barton in an area of old marlpits. It has a mound 1.5m high and 14m across. The mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. This is 2.1m wide and 0.3m deep, having been partially infilled over the years.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

A prehistoric round barrow recorded in Widworthy Wood is visible as a circular earthwork mound 10 metres across, surrounded by a ditch 1.5 metres wide and partial bank 1 metre wide to the north, on images derived from lidar data captured in 2016. It has been transcribed despite being depicted on the modern map because the location and proportions differ, and the monument polygon incorporates the extent of both the mapping and the NMP transcription.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV100745	Schedule Document: Ancient Monuments. 1975.
SDV100746	Correspondence: Grinsell, L. V.. 1982. Letter.
SDV100747	Site Visit: Robinson, R.. 1983. List of Field Monument Warden visits.
SDV100749	Site Visit: Salvatore, J. P.. 1997. Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset.. MPP/144359..
SDV100754	National Monuments Record Database: NMR. SY29NW 11 & 15. SY29NW. 11 & 15.
SDV120253	Site Visit: Robinson, R.. 1986. Field Monument Warden Visit.
SDV323978	Correspondence: Haydon, E. S.. 1992. Letter to County Archaeologist. A4 Stapled + Digital.
SDV337013	Article in Serial: Grinsell, L. V.. 1983. The Barrows of South and East Devon. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 41. Paperback Volume. 44.
SDV351568	Archive - Survey: Exeter Archaeology. 2003-2004. East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Archaeological Survey. East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Archaeological Survey. Digital + Mixed Archive Material. Site No. 848.
SDV355280	Report - non-specific: English Heritage. 2011. Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West. english Heritage. Digital. 95.
SDV359352	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2016. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital.
SDV359353	National Heritage List for England: Historic England. 2016. National Heritage List for England. Historic Houses Register. Digital. 1017475.
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2
SDV359652	Website: Historic England. 2015-2016. NRHE to HER prototype. https://nrhe-to-her.esdm.co.uk/home. Website. 459981.
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR SY2198 Bluesky International DTM 24-APR-2016.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV2959 - Unnamed Event
• EDV2960 - Unnamed Event
• EDV2961 - Unnamed Event
• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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