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Wood Barrow round barrow See also SOMERSET 168

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1003838
Date first listed:: 01-Jan-1900

User submitted image — Uploaded by Historic England Archive This photo may not represent the current condition of the site
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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1003838
Date first listed:: 01-Jan-1900

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Devon
District:: North Devon (District Authority)
Parish:: Challacombe
County:: Somerset
District:: Somerset West and Taunton (District Authority)
Parish:: Exmoor
National Park:: EXMOOR
National Grid Reference:: SS 71631 42506

Summary

Bowl barrow called Wood Barrow.

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. 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. Despite some disturbance through early excavation Wood Barrow survives well and will contain important archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, use and landscape context.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 29 July 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a bowl barrow known as Wood Barrow situated on a prominent ridge overlooking the valleys of the River Barle and the Yarbury Combe. The barrow survives as a circular mound measuring up to 26m in diameter and 2.5m high. The surrounding quarry ditch from which material to construct the mound was derived survives as a buried feature up to 3m wide. There is a central excavation hollow. The name Wood Barrow may be derived from ‘Ward Barrow’ from where watch and ward were kept and it was probably used as a beacon. It was probably in use as a boundary marker as early as 1207. It is mentioned in The Survey of Exmoor Chase dated to 1651.

Other standing stones and barrows in the vicinity are not included in the scheduling because they have not been formally assessed.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: DV 238
Legacy System:: RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-35361

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.