Details

The Farway Hill barrows are situated in south east Devon on the high ground
of an extensive Greensand plateau in an area some 8km south of Honiton where
it forms the watershed of the River Sid. These funerary monuments are grouped
around Farway Castle, a substantial circular earthwork enclosure which is
believed to be contemporary.
The monument includes one of ten bowl barrows which make up the Farway Hill
round barrow cemetery. It is situated on the crest of a ridge to the immediate
east of Farway Castle and is 20m in diameter and 1.3m in height, with an even
rounded profile. Exposed peaty soil on the top of the mound contains flinty
stones up to 20cm in size. There is no evidence of a ditch.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

The Farway Hill barrows, a number of which form the barrow cemetery,
comprise the central section of the most extensive and densest concentration
of barrows in Devon. Their association with Farway Castle adds additional
depth to this relict ritual landscape. Limited archaeological excavations of
some of the barrows have revealed that they have a remarkable diversity in
size and form, and in the nature of their funerary contents.
This barrow forms an integral part of the barrow cemetery. It survives in
good condition and is one of the larger barrows in the group.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Fox, A, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Broad Down (Farway) Necropolis, , Vol. 4, (1948), 1-19
Grinsell, L V, 'Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society' in The Barrows of South and East Devon, , Vol. 41, (1983), 5-46
Simpson, S, Noble, S, 'Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit Report' in Archaeological Survey & Management Study of Areas of E Devon, , Vol. 93.38, (1993)

Source: Historic England