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Summary

A Neolithic long barrow which survives as an oval mound, aligned east-west. Circa 92 metres long and 18 metres at its widest, eastern end and up to 0.9 metres high. The eastern end has been demolished.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019058: Long barrow immediately north of Blenheim House, 310m south west of Putson Cross
• SHINE: Neolithic long barrow north of Blenheim House

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 649944
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS91SE/15
• Old SAM County Ref: 1025
• Old SAM Ref: 32230
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SS91SE11

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LONG BARROW (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2201 BC) + Sci.Date

Full description

Unattributed Sites and Monuments Register Entry (Unattributed Sites and Monuments Register Entry). SDV263.

Site visit 1976. The long barrow which is recorded on the Tithe Map of circa 1840, is now the name of an adjacent cottage. It is partially tree-covered. It is situated on a level plateau above the River Lowman, 300 metres from a barrow to the north. On rough ground, immediately to the north is a low linear earthwork,a bout 20 metres in length, at right angles to the mound.

Ordnance Survey, 1963 - 1977, SS91SE11 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV345156.

Site visit 24th October 1963. A long mound with no side ditches and impossible to classifty with certainty, though it appears to be artificial. Irs orientation and superficial appearance do suggest a long barrow, but if it is, it is extraordinarily isolated geographically.
Noted as being under plough in 1951.

Timms, S., 1978 - 1983, Possible Long Barrow (Worksheet). SDV345157.

Site visit in 1978. A photograph in the possession of the then owner showed excavation trenches open prior to 1963. These were apparently conducted by Blundell's School but no information can be traced. The house was built circa 1925. H. Miles considered, following a subsequent site visit, the mound to be a probable long barrow and P.M. Evans thought it worth scheduling as an ancient monument.
Site visit 16th June 1983. Viewed from the road. The mound was under grass with an east-west fence recently erected on its south side. Development proposals affect an area to the south of the mound.

Griffith, F. M., 1984, DAP/DY, 8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV346204.

TIVERTON GAZETTE, 1984, No Building on Burial Mound (Article in Serial). SDV361535.

Members of Tiverton Town Council were assured that a proposed new house in the town would not be built on top of an ancient burial mound.

Allowed, building on land adjacent to Long Barrow but prevented from building on top of. Complaints of building house to two storeys from local people.

Griffith, F. M., 1984, Salvage Observations at Long Burrow, Tiverton (Un-published). SDV345163.

Site visit 5th September 1984. A visit to discuss current planning application discovered trenching for drains at the southern and eastern parts of the monument. A salvage record was made. The principal discovery was that the mound was surrounded by a broad deep ditch passing around the eastern end of the mound. This could be seen in the drainage trenches, the minimum width being at least 2.2 metres. The bottom of the trench was 1.2 metres below the modern ground surface: nowhere was the ditch bottom seen. No layers apparent in ditch fill; no finds were made - this in itself supports a prehistoric date for the site. Record of discovery sent to Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission. Other details: Plan.

Griffith, F. M. + Keene. B., 1984, Tiverton Long Burrow. Trenches Recorded in 1984 (Plan - measured). SDV348546.

Keene, B. + Timms, S., 1984, Untitled Source (Worksheet). SDV345173.

Site visit 2nd October 1984. Newly cut trenches examined. No features observed. One flint flake found.

1984 - 1980, Untitled Source, 625/7A-8A,27A-30A (Photograph). SDV345165.

Griffith, F. M., 1985, DAP/EX, 12 (Aerial Photograph). SDV35578.

Griffith, F. M., 1985, DAP/FT, 6-10 (Aerial Photograph). SDV35306.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1985, Long Barrow Immediately North of Blenheim House, 310m South West of Putson Cross (Schedule Document). SDV345170.

A Neolithic long barrow situated on the southern side of the valley of the River Lowman. The monument survives as an elongated oval mound aligned east-west, which is widest at the eastern end. It measures approximately 92 metres long, 18 metres wide at the east tapering to 11 metres wide at the west and is up to 0.9 metres high. The flanking quarry ditch is partially visible on the northern side, extends round the eastern end and to the south, and is elsewhere preserved as a buried feature which measure up to 10 metres wide. Partial excavation has shown that this ditch measures up to 3.2 metres deep. The long mouond and its ditch extends through the gardens and grounds of three separate properties. The land boundaries which cross the monument, together with patios, paths, other garden features, standing buildings and a septic tank are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included. Despite reduction in its height through cultivation, partial excavation and disturbance through modern services to houses, the long barrow will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the construction and use of the monument and its landscape. It is unusual for this part of Devon, being the only remaining monument of this type know west of West Dorset.

Department of Environment, 1985, Long Barrow, Tiverton, Devon (Schedule Document). SDV345171.

A Neolithic earthen long barrow, originally a trapezoidal mound 75 metres long, 1 metre high, oriented east to west with a broader end 18 metres wide to the east, 12 metres wide at the narrow end. There are surface traces of a flanking ditch on the north side, with a corresponding ditch seen in pipe trench across the south-eastern corner. The first 20 metres of the eastern end have been bulldozed almost to the level of the pre-barrow surface.

Dunn + Baker, 1985, Mid-Devon District: Site at Longburrow, Uplowman Road, Tiverton (Correspondence). SDV345169.

Letter informing Devon County Council that the eastern part of the mound had been accidently demolished by an agency digger employed by the owner.

1985, Untitled Source, 645/22-23 (Photograph). SDV345166.

1985, Untitled Source, 649/2-8 (Photograph). SDV345167.

Smith, G., 1986, Long Burrow, Tiverton, Devon (Un-published). SDV345174.

Salvage excavation carried out by the Central Excavation Unit from 2nd September to 4th October 1985. A survey of the remains was made and an excavation carried out on the eastern part. The excavation showed that a subsoiler had been used on the mound area after its destruction: the mound and buried land surface and subsoil had been destroyed. Only one small pit was identified. Part of the mound protected by a tree was investigated: it formed a simple dump of gravel and brickearth, derived form the ditch. No kerb or revetment could be identified, although revetment features were not discounted. A slight central core of flat stone slabs and turves was seen in section and the old land surface was found. The pit, circa 2.4 metres diameter and 0.46 metres deep, contained lenses of silt but no artefacts or traces of burial. The ditch was sectioned in several places, its depth was 2.65-3.25 metrew below present ground level, with a width up to 6 metres at the top and 1.75 to 2.65 metres at the bottom. A simple natural silting profile was observed. Charcoal was found in the fill but not in the primary silts and flint material, including scrapers and part of a transverse arrowhead, was found in the upper fills. Investigation of the remainder of the destroyed surface produced one microlith and two backed blades from unstratified contexts. Other details: Plans and sections.

Unknown, 1986, Untitled Source, 8 (Article in Serial). SDV345172.

Other details: GP13 Newsletter, Autumn 1986.

Smith, G., 1990, A Neolithic Long Barrow at Uplowman Road, Tiverton. (Migrated Record). SDV35536.

Originally a long, low, trapezoidal mound, oriented west-south-west by east-north-east, broadest at east end. Circa 0.6 metres high, 12 metres wide and at least 50 metres long. In a position of local prominance above the River Lowman. A possible long 'trail' to the mound may be indicated in a bend in the hedge to the west. See article for full details.

Keene, B., 1999, Untitled Source, P47 (Monograph). SDV337713.

Valentin, J., 2009, Tiverton Eastern Urban Expansion Area. Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Assessment and Evaluation, 4, 11, App.1 A10 (Report - Assessment). SDV345204.

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

Walls, S., 2011, Blenheim House, Tiverton, Devon: Results of a Desk-Based Assessment and Archaeological Evaluation (Report - non-specific). SDV349830.

This Neolithic earthen long barrow was the first to be identified in Devon and is the most western known example. It was truncated when Blenheim House and Brookfield House were built immediately to the south in the late 1980s. However, no evidence for the barrow or other prehistoric activity was identified during an archaeological trench evaluation in advance of construction of a garage at Blenheim House. The only features encountered were modern, probably associated with the construction of the houses.
The field in which the barrow is located is named as Long Burrow (Field 3083) on the 1841 Tithe Map and Apportionment.

English Heritage, 2012, Radiocarbon Dates from Samples Funded by English Heritage Between 1981 and 1988, 284 (Report - Scientific). SDV351471.

Radiocarbon dating of a charcoal sample from buried soil beneath the barrow, in a spread close to the probable primary burial pit towards the east end of the barrow (see Smith 1986) produced an 8th century BC date. This suggests that the material was residual, circa 3000 years earlier than the monument.

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

Earthworks associated with the prehistoric long barrow off Uplowman Road were not clearly visible on either aerial photographs or digital images made available to the survey and could not be accurately transcribed.

Rainbird, P., 2018, Land off the A361 Tiverton, Long Barrow Immediately North of Blenheim House, 310 metres South West of Putson Cross (Report - Survey). SDV361627.

Archaeological walkover and topographic surveys were undertaken by AC archaeology during May and June 2018 on and adjacent to a Scheduled Monument, long barrow immediately north of Blenheim House, 310m south west of Putson Cross (NHLE 1019058), a probable funerary monument of Neolithic date.

The walkover and topographic survey has provided a current condition report for the monument. The key findings are that the mound appears to have been significantly further reduced since it was surveyed in 1985 and that the potential upstanding barrow material survives largely only within the rear of the property known as Long Burrow. The barrow ditches will survive as buried features, but no surface indication of these was identified.

The long barrow is located on a level spur of ground standing approximately 7m above the valley of the River Lowman at a height of 94m above Ordnance Datum (Fig. 1). The scheduled area containing buried remains of the monument crosses parts of four gardens to the rear of houses on Uplowman Road. The underlying solid geology consists of sandstone of the Tidcombe Sand Member overlain by superficial alluvium deposits of clay, silt and sand (British Geological Survey Online Viewer 2018).

The area which was exposed as a section in 1985 has been further flattened, presumably for the laying of a lawn for the property known as Blenheim House; this would also have required the removal of several mature pine trees which are shown sitting on the long barrow on photographs dated 1985 (Smith 1990). This has removed much of the previously surviving low long barrow by a further 8m to the west of where the section was recorded in 1985 (Plate 1) with potential barrow material surviving only immediately adjacent to the boundary with the neighbouring property Long Burrow (Plates 2 and 3).

The best potential surviving upstanding part of the barrow is within the rear of the property known as Long Burrow. Here a low garden revetment wall (Plate 4) to the north of the house may contain behind it and below the level lawn area to its north (Plate 5) surviving barrow material as far as the former leat and within the north boundary with the neighbouring property; this is shown in profile 1 (Fig. 2) and measures approximately 20m wide, a little larger than the 18m previously recorded and may indicate that the remaining material has spread further to the north since 1985. The surveyed levels indicate that the surviving deposit of barrow material may be approximately 0.70m high, which further indicates some erosion as it was previously recorded as c. 1m high in 1985 (Smith 1990, 19). To the northwest of Long Burrow house a distinct slope may be the tail of the long barrow (Plate 6) as originally identified by Smith (1990). The deposits forming the possible tail are being damaged by large tree roots (Plate 7).

The archaeological walkover and topographic surveys have added to the detailed record for this monument. The combined results show that the upstanding part of the long barrow has been further significantly denuded since the previous survey in 1985. Within the scheduled area only to the rear of the property know as Long Burrow and a very small area within the garden of Blenheim House has the potential for surviving remains of the barrow structure. In these areas it is evident that there will be much damage caused by tree roots. The expectation that the buried ditches of the monument survive remains unchanged.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV263	Unattributed Sites and Monuments Register Entry: Unattributed Sites and Monuments Register Entry.
SDV337713	Monograph: Keene, B.. 1999. A Gazetteer of Flint Arrowheads from South-West Britain. 19. A4 Paperback. P47.
SDV344030	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2010. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey. Map (Digital). [Mapped feature: #80973 ]
SDV345156	Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey. 1963 - 1977. SS91SE11. Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card. Card Index.
SDV345157	Worksheet: Timms, S.. 1978 - 1983. Possible Long Barrow. Worksheet.
SDV345163	Un-published: Griffith, F. M.. 1984. Salvage Observations at Long Burrow, Tiverton. A4 Stapled.
SDV345165	Photograph: 1984 - 1980. Photograph (Paper). 625/7A-8A,27A-30A.
SDV345166	Photograph: 1985. Photograph (Paper). 645/22-23.
SDV345167	Photograph: 1985. Photograph (Paper). 649/2-8.
SDV345169	Correspondence: Dunn + Baker. 1985. Mid-Devon District: Site at Longburrow, Uplowman Road, Tiverton. Letter to S. Timms. Letter.
SDV345170	Schedule Document: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 1985. Long Barrow Immediately North of Blenheim House, 310m South West of Putson Cross. The Schedule of Monuments. A4 Stapled.
SDV345171	Schedule Document: Department of Environment. 1985. Long Barrow, Tiverton, Devon. The Schedule of Monuments. A4 Stapled.
SDV345172	Article in Serial: Unknown. 1986. Council for British Archaeology South West Newsletter. 105. Paperback Volume. 8.
SDV345173	Worksheet: Keene, B. + Timms, S.. 1984. Worksheet.
SDV345174	Un-published: Smith, G.. 1986. Long Burrow, Tiverton, Devon. A4 Stapled.
SDV345204	Report - Assessment: Valentin, J.. 2009. Tiverton Eastern Urban Expansion Area. Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Assessment and Evaluation. AC Archaeology Report. ACD30/2/1. A4 Stapled + Digital. 4, 11, App.1 A10.
SDV346204	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1984. DAP/DY. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 8.
SDV348546	Plan - measured: Griffith, F. M. + Keene. B.. 1984. Tiverton Long Burrow. Trenches Recorded in 1984. Plan + Digital.
SDV349830	Report - non-specific: Walls, S.. 2011. Blenheim House, Tiverton, Devon: Results of a Desk-Based Assessment and Archaeological Evaluation. Southwest Archaeology Report. 111202. A4 Spiral Bound + Digital.
SDV351471	Report - Scientific: English Heritage. 2012. Radiocarbon Dates from Samples Funded by English Heritage Between 1981 and 1988. English Heritage Report. A4 Bound. 284.
SDV35306	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1985. DAP/FT. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 6-10.
SDV35536	Migrated Record: Smith, G.. 1990. A Neolithic Long Barrow at Uplowman Road, Tiverton.. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 48. Paperback Volume.
SDV35578	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 1985. DAP/EX. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 12.
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
SDV361535	Article in Serial: TIVERTON GAZETTE. 1984. No Building on Burial Mound. Tiverton Gazette. Cutting + Digital.
SDV361627	Report - Survey: Rainbird, P.. 2018. Land off the A361 Tiverton, Long Barrow Immediately North of Blenheim House, 310 metres South West of Putson Cross. AC Archaeology. ACD1579/4/0. Digital.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4893 - Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Assessment, Tiverton
• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)
• EDV5911 - Archaeological Evaluation at Blenheim House, Tiverton
• EDV7572 - Condition Report: Land off A361, Tiverton, Long Barrow Immediately North of Blenheim House (Ref: ACD1579/4/0)

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