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HER Number:MDV7117
Name:Bowl Barrow at Highermoor Cross, Pancrasweek

Summary

One of a row of six bowl barrows, three of which including this one are scheduled. Located on the west side of the road south of Highermoor Cross. Barrow mound 23.6 metres diameter and 1.2 metres high. It is visible as a sub-circular earthwork mound on 1940’s RAF aerial photographs and on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2004 and 2013.

Location

Grid Reference:SS 295 067
Map Sheet:SS20NE
Admin AreaDevon
Civil ParishPancrasweek
DistrictTorridge
Ecclesiastical ParishPANCRASWEEK

Protected Status

Other References/Statuses

  • Old DCC SMR Ref: SS20NE/504
  • Old SAM Ref: 34273
  • Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SS20NE4

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Unknown, Glebe Cottage and its Six Acres of Glebe Land (Cartographic). SDV344112.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

The mound corresponds with an earthwork labelled as ‘Tumuli’.

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

'Tumuli' shown.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

A sub-circular mound is visible as an earthwork.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1952 - 1977, SS20NE4 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV344110.

Site visit 31st October 1977. One of three bowl barrows under pasture situated on a flattish hilltop. Barrow B: a bowl barrow 21 metres in diameter and 1.4 metres high. Attached to its south-west side is small mound 0.3m high, 7 metres long and 4 metres wide, which could be due to ploughing or excavation spoil. No visible ditch.

Grinsell, L. V., 1970, The Barrows of North Devon, 126 (Article in Serial). SDV7849.

Site visit 7th April 1969. Pasture, diameter 25 paces, height 2 feet.

Devon Committee for Rescue Archaeology, 1979 - 1981, North Devon Barrow Survey, DCRA ND4 (Archive - Survey). SDV341310.

Site visit 20th November 1979. Diameter 26.0 metres, height 0.88 metres. Flattened and spread. Slightly distorted east-west, but otherwise reasonable. No sign of ditch. In pasture, fairly good condition (no sign of the small mound mentioned by Ordnance Survey).

Bayer, O. J., 1996, Barrows in the Torridge District of North West Devon: A Study in Distribution and Location, Pancrasweek 2, 53-4, Fig. 15, Photo 16 (Undergraduate Dissertation). SDV319515.

Environment Agency, 2000-2019, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 19-DEC-2004 (Cartographic). SDV363954.

A sub-circular mound is visible as an earthwork.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2001, Three Bowl Barrows 240 Metres South-east of Highermoor (Schedule Document). SDV344111.

This monument includes three bowl barrows in an approximately east to west alignment situated on an upland ridge forming the watershed between the valleys of the River Tamar and the Small Brook. Each barrow includes a mound surrounded by a quarry ditch from which material was derived during its construction. For all except the westernmost barrow, these features are no longer visible but survive as buried features approximately 3 metres wide. The central mound measures 23.6 metres in diameter and 1.2 metres high.

Cornwall Archaeological Unit, 2001-2002, Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Transcriptions and Database Records (Interpretation). SDV346287.

This feature has been previously transcribed by the Tamar Valley NMP survey. Further details from the survey database, including aerial photograph references and interpretive text, are awaiting accessioning.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV363955.

A sub-circular mound is visible as an earthwork.

Hegarty, C., Houghton, E., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2020-2021, Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 2 (Culture Recovery Fund project) (Interpretation). SDV364011.

A sub-circular earthwork mound, circa 27 metres in diameter, is visible on 1940’s RAF aerial photographs and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2004 and 2013.
The mound corresponds with one of three earthworks that are depicted and labelled as ‘Tumuli’ on the late 19th century First Edition Ordnance Survey map. It forms one of a group of six possible barrows (MDV7118, MDV7116, MDV60124, MDV76198 & MDV129826) that have been recorded in this location. The barrows are aligned along the edge of a ridge of high ground in a north-east to south-west orientation.
This feature has been previously transcribed by the Tamar Valley NMP survey. These transcriptions have been superseded by those resulting from this survey.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV319515Undergraduate Dissertation: Bayer, O. J.. 1996. Barrows in the Torridge District of North West Devon: A Study in Distribution and Location. University of Leicester Dissertation. A4 Stapled + Digital. Pancrasweek 2, 53-4, Fig. 15, Photo 16.
SDV325644Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1904 - 1906. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV336179Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV341310Archive - Survey: Devon Committee for Rescue Archaeology. 1979 - 1981. North Devon Barrow Survey. Devon Barrow Survey. Digital + Mixed Archive Material. DCRA ND4.
SDV342938Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946 - 1949. Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Digital).
SDV344110Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division. 1952 - 1977. SS20NE4. Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card. Card Index.
SDV344111Schedule Document: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 2001. Three Bowl Barrows 240 Metres South-east of Highermoor. The Schedule of Monuments. A4 Stapled.
SDV344112Cartographic: Unknown. Glebe Cottage and its Six Acres of Glebe Land. A4 Single Sheet.
SDV346287Interpretation: Cornwall Archaeological Unit. 2001-2002. Tamar Valley National Mapping Programme Transcriptions and Database Records. National Mapping Programme. Map (Digital).
SDV363954Cartographic: Environment Agency. 2000-2019. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area. Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 19-DEC-2004.
SDV363955Cartographic: NERC. 2013. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area. Digital. LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013. [Mapped feature: #128490 ]
SDV364011Interpretation: Hegarty, C., Houghton, E., Knight, S. and Sims, R.. 2020-2021. Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 2 (Culture Recovery Fund project). Digital.
SDV7849Article in Serial: Grinsell, L. V.. 1970. The Barrows of North Devon. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 28. A5 Paperback. 126.

Associated Monuments

MDV129826Related to: Barrow at Highermoor Cross, Pancrasweek (Monument)
MDV7118Related to: Bowl Barrow at Highermoor Cross, Pancrasweek (Monument)
MDV7116Related to: Bowl Barrow at Highermoor Cross, Pancrasweek (Monument)
MDV60124Related to: Possible Barrow at Highermoor, Pancrasweek (Monument)
MDV129812Related to: Possible barrow south-west of Venn Cottage, Pancrasweek (Monument)
MDV76198Related to: Possible Barrow to South-east of Highermoor Cross (Monument)

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

  • EDV4415 - Devon Barrow Survey
  • EDV8356 - Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 2 (Culture Recovery Fund) (Ref: ACD2424)

Date Last Edited:May 8 2024 2:32PM