Ancient Monuments

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Round barrow 950yds (868m) north of Drakeland Corner

A Scheduled Monument in Sparkwell, Devon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.4181 / 50°25'5"N

Longitude: -4.0107 / 4°0'38"W

OS Eastings: 257247.699389

OS Northings: 59512.935159

OS Grid: SX572595

Mapcode National: GBR Q3.41L7

Mapcode Global: FRA 27HY.79R

Entry Name: Round barrow 950yds (868m) N of Drakeland Corner

Scheduled Date: 25 October 1971

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1002597

English Heritage Legacy ID: DV 761

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Sparkwell

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Summary

A round cairn 590m north of Drakeland Corner.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 11 November 2015. The 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.

The monument includes a round cairn situated on the southern summit of the prominent ridge called Crownhill Down. The round cairn survives as a circular stony mound measuring up to 15m in diameter and 1.4m high. In the centre is a large hollow indicating early partial excavation or robbing. This cairn is known locally as ‘Hawkesborough’ and was mentioned in a lease dated 16th November 1562 as tin bound for a nearby tinworks. It is probably an outlying cairn associated with the nearby round cairn cemetery on Crownhill Down which is the subject of a separate scheduling.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Round cairns are prehistoric funerary monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as stone mounds covering single or multiple burials. These burials may be placed within the mound in stone-lined compartments called cists. In some cases the cairn was surrounded by a ditch. Often occupying prominent locations, cairns are a major visual element in the modern landscape. They are a relatively common feature of the uplands and are the stone equivalent of the earthen round barrows of the lowlands. Their considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period.

Despite early partial excavation the round cairn 590m north of Drakeland Corner survives comparatively well and is associated with a nearby large round cairn cemetery. It occupies a prominent location on a ridge and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, funerary and ritual practices, longevity, social organisation, territorial significance and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-438396

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

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