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. Despite reduction in their heights through cultivation, the three bowl barrows 570m north east of Trewindle survive comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction, relative chronologies, social organisation, territorial significance, funerary and ritual practices, longevity and overall landscape context.
Details
The monument, which falls into three areas of protection, includes three bowl barrows, situated on the summit of a prominent ridge, overlooking the River Fowey to the north west of West Taphouse. The three barrows lie in a west to east alignment. They survive as circular mounds, with their surrounding quarry ditches, from which material to construct the mounds was derived, preserved as buried features. The western mound measures 28m in diameter and 0.5m high. The central mound measures 27m in diameter and 0.5m high with a slight central depression. The eastern barrow measures 17m in diameter and 0.4m high, also with a slight central depression.
Sources: HER:-
PastScape Monument No:-432708
