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Round barrow cemetery 500m east of Little Bray Cross

A Scheduled Monument in Bratton Fleming, Devon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.1212 / 51°7'16"N

Longitude: -3.9024 / 3°54'8"W

OS Eastings: 266956.1748

OS Northings: 137484.9042

OS Grid: SS669374

Mapcode National: GBR KY.9P6Y

Mapcode Global: VH4MV.92TV

Entry Name: Round barrow cemetery 500m east of Little Bray Cross

Scheduled Date: 25 October 1968

Last Amended: 29 October 1999

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1017137

English Heritage Legacy ID: 32235

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Bratton Fleming

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Church of England Parish: Bratton Fleming St Peter

Church of England Diocese: Exeter

Details

This monument, which falls into three separate areas, is situated on a
prominent ridge known as Berry Hill overlooking the valley of the River Bray.
The monument survives as five circular mounds of varying size arranged as two
pairs with one single outlier. All have approximately 2m wide surrounding
quarry ditches from which material to construct the mounds was derived; in all
cases these are preserved as buried features. The northernmost pair of barrows
are the most prominent. Of these, the northern mound measures 17.4m in
diameter and 0.9m high, while the southern mound is 16m in diameter and 0.6m
high. This mound is crossed by a stone built, slightly ditched field boundary
on its western side. Of the westernmost pair of barrows, the eastern barrow
lies on the summit of the hill and measures 14.4m in diameter and 0.3m high;
the western barrow is 16.2m in diameter and 0.4m high. The final barrow is the
single outlier which is the southernmost of the whole group. This measures
15.8m in diameter and 0.3m high. This is crossed on its northern side by a
slightly ditched stone built field boundary.
All field boundaries which cross the barrows are excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath them is included.

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.

Despite reduction in the height of its barrows through cultivation the round
barrow cemetery 500m east of Little Bray Cross survives comparatively well and
will contain archaeological information relating to the construction and use
of the monument as well as environmental evidence relating to the surrounding
landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS63NE10, (1982)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS63NE11, (1982)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS63NE7, (1982)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS63NE8, (1982)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SS63NE9, (1982)

Source: Historic England

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