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Summary

Four mounds are visible as soilmarks and cropmarks on aerial photographs between 1992 and 2001. They are interpreted as ploughed out Bronze Age barrows possibly associated with three to the south and one visible as an earthwork. An episode of deeper ploughing may have brought the fabric of the mounds to the surface and remains are likely to survive below ground.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: One of group of prehistoric barrows north of Ettiford Farm

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BARROW CEMETERY (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

Geonex UK, 1992, 52/92, DCC Geonix/52/92 015-016 19-MAY-1992 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350550.

Four roughly circular mounds are visible as soilmarks.

Geonex UK, 1993, 78/93, DCC Geonix/78/93 055-056 08-JUN-1993 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349900.

Three roughly circular mounds are visible as indistinct cropmarks and soilmarks.

Next Perspectives, 2001, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref:, Next Perspectives PGA Tile: SS5444 22-MAY-2001 (Aerial Photograph). SDV349376.

Three very indistinct pale cropmarks are visible.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S., 2011 - 2012, North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV349018.

Four mounds, circa 15 to 17 metres in diameter, are visible as pale soilmarks and cropmarks on the hill north of Ettiford Farm on aerial photographs between 1992 and 1993. They are likely to be ploughed out Bronze Age burial mounds and may be associated with the three barrows to the south recorded by Grinsell (MDV2195, MDV7334 and MDV7335). An earthwork mound interpreted as a barrow when observed in the field (MDV60197) may be an additional barrow or one of the four visible as soilmarks. They are not visible on earlier aerial photographs, and it is possible that an episode of deeper ploughing had brought the fabric of the mound to the surface. Remains are however likely to survive below ground and two very indistinct cropmarks are visible on aerial photographs taken in 2001.

Historic England, 5/10/2015, Barrow Cemetery to the north of Ettiford Farm, North Devon (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV359231.

An aerial photograph interpretive survey of the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,
along with a small contextual area including the Taw and Torridge estuaries up to Barnstaple and
Bideford, was undertaken between December 2011 and February 2013 by AC Archaeology and the Devon County Council Historic Environment Team on behalf of English Heritage. One of the principal aims of this National Mapping Programme project was to improve understanding and inform decisions with regard to the management and preservation of the historic environment of the AONB. Eight sites were subsequently put forward for designation assessment, including a barrow cemetery to the north of Ettiford Farm, Berrynarbor, and a further three scheduled sites were recommended for amendment. The site of the barrow cemetery lies within an area of arable farmland which is under Entry Level Stewardship.

Four mounds, circa 15 to 17 metres in diameter, are visible as pale soilmarks and cropmarks on the
summit of a hill to the north of Ettiford Farm, Berrynarbor. Recorded from aerial photographs dated to
1992 and 1993, they have been interpreted as ploughed out burial mounds of Bronze Age date. It is
suggested that they may be associated with three barrows situated circa 225m to the south-west, of which one survives as an earthwork and is Scheduled (NHLE 101906), with the other two visible as cropmarks. As the four mounds are not visible on earlier aerial photographs, it is believed that an episode of deeper ploughing has brought the fabric of the mound to the surface.

The barrow cemetery to the north of Ettiford Farm, Berrynarbor, is not recommended for scheduling for the following principal reasons:
Survival: the evidence for the survival of the archaeological remains of the barrow cemetery is unclear
at present, particularly as the mounds have been compromised by ploughing;
Potential: given the uncertain survival of the barrow cemetery, the potential of the site to yield
nationally important archaeological information cannot be quantified at present;
Rarity: with most round barrows, the commonest barrow type, presumed to have been constructed in
the Early Bronze Age, and with the south-west of England accounting for a significant number of known
examples, these examples are not rare in terms of date, location and type. Given that over 30,000 round
barrows are known to survive, with the Monuments Protection Programme scheduling the best surviving examples, selection is now needed with regards to designation, with a presumption to schedule if a barrow can be demonstrated to be of a less common type. Given this, no information has been supplied to suggest that the barrows to the north of Ettiford Farm are uncommon;

Period: as Bronze Age barrows were part of a much wider range of monument types from the era, this
cemetery does not represent one of the few sources of information providing evidence about human
population at the time;
Group value: although the barrow cemetery may have formed part of a wider ceremonial and funerary
landscape, this does not add to their significance given the sites uncertain survival and limited
archaeological potential.

Although the remains of the plough-levelled barrow cemetery to the north of Ettiford Farm is clearly of
some potential interest, it nonetheless must demonstrate good archaeological survival and potential in
order to merit scheduling. As it cannot be demonstrated that the barrow cemetery survives well, its
national importance cannot be confirmed and the site should therefore not be designated. However,
should further information become available, then it may be appropriate to review this decision.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV349018	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S.. 2011 - 2012. North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. ACD383/2/1. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV349376	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2001. Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref:. Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives PGA Tile: SS5444 22-MAY-2001.
SDV349900	Aerial Photograph: Geonex UK. 1993. 78/93. Geonex Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). DCC Geonix/78/93 055-056 08-JUN-1993.
SDV350550	Aerial Photograph: Geonex UK. 1992. 52/92. Geonex Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). DCC Geonix/52/92 015-016 19-MAY-1992. [Mapped feature: #62635 ]
SDV359231	List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest: Historic England. 5/10/2015. Barrow Cemetery to the north of Ettiford Farm, North Devon. Completed Assessment. Digital.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6132 - North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty NMP Project

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