MDE1021 - Seven Bronze Age barrows on Martinhoe Common (Monument)

A group of seven Bronze Age round barrows (six Scheduled), visible as grass covered earth and stone flat topped mounds. They vary in size from 5.5 metres to 12 metres in diameter and 0.4 metres to 1.1 metres in height. Summary from record MDE20110: Martinhoe common, to se of village, small group of four barrows. Rifled, some almost entirely dug-out. Only some charcoal found on excavation. Originally consisted of small cairns of stones over interment pits, on top of which had been a covering of turf and soil.(mean diam 9.144m, min heig 457mm, max heig 508mm), barrow d(diam 3m, heig 0.6m). Summary from record MDE20176: Vis=24/11/1975 (ancient monuments) barrow b. Barrows south east of martinhoe. In field used for rough grazing. Probably ploughed in the past but have retained their shape well. Summary from record MDE20177: Vis=24/11/1975 (ancient monuments) barrow c. Barrows south east of martinhoe. In field now used for rough grazing. Probably ploughed in the past, but have retained their shape well. Summary from record MDE20178: Vis=24/11/1975 (ancient monuments) barrow e. Barrows south east of martinhoe. In field now used for rough grazing. Probably ploughed in the past, but have retained their shape well. Summary from record MDE20179: Vis=24/11/1975 (ancient monuments) barrow f. Barrows south east of martinhoe. In field now used for rough grazing. Probably ploughed in the past but have retained their shape well. Summary from record MDE20180: Vis=24/11/1975 (ancient monuments) barrow a. Barrows south east of martinhoe. In field now used for rough grazing. Probably ploughed in the past, but have retained their shape well. Summary from record MDE20213: Barrow e. Summary from record MDE20688: Barrow g. Summary from record MMO14: A group of seven round barrows, probably of Bronze Age date on Martinhoe Common are visible on aerial photographs and at ground level. They are all visible as grass covered earth and stone flat-topped mounds. They vary in size from 5.5m to 12m in diameter and 0.4m to 1.1m in height. They have probably all suffered from some plough damage and a couple show signs of excavation. A possible eighth barrow is visible on aerial photographs from the 1940s and was noted during field survey in 1961. However, no trace of this eighth barrow is visible on later photographs and could not be located during field survey in 1993

(Centred SS 672484) Tumuli (NR) [1] "Martinhoe Common group" of grass covered bowl barrows visited and measured by L V Grinsell in July 1961. 'A' - SS 6712 4846. 9 paces in diameter and 1 foot high with a slight hollowed centre. 3 feet high in 1939 [2]. 'B' - SS 6722 4846. Cairn. 11 paces in diameter and 2.5 feet high. 'C' - SS 6719 4843. 14 paces diameter and 1.5 feet high with recent-looking excavation trench visible. 2.5 feet high in 1939 [2]. All three were opened by J F Chanter and others in August 1906 and proved to have been previously disturbed. The barrows had originally consisted of small cairns of stones over interment pits, on top of which there had been a covering of turf and soil [4]. 'D' - SS 6726 4834. Cairn, 13 paces in diameter and 3 feet high with hollow-centre and soil-heap to the south east. 'E' - SS 6732 4837. Stony, 8 paces diameter and 1 foot high shown on the Ordnance Survey 1st Edition [1] but not later editions. 'F' - SS 6732 4833. 8 paces in diameter and 1 foot high. 'G' - SS 6729 4826. 17 paces in diameter and 2.5 feet high. To the east is a "sort of avenue" with two banks noted in 1939 [2]. 'H' - SS 6729 4810. Doubtful. 6 paces in diameter and 6 inches high. [3] Martinhoe Common, to southeast of village, small group of four barrows. Rifled, some almost entirely dug out. Only some charcoal found on excavation. Originally consisted of small cairns of stones over interment pits, on top of which had been a covering of turf and soil. The mean diameter of the barrows is 9.144 metres, the minimum height 457 milimetres? and the maximum height 508 milimetres. [4] All these round barrows are in an area of pasture. 'A' - SS 6711 4847. 10.0 metres in diameter, 0.5 metres high. 'B' - SS 6719 4846. 8.5 metres in diameter, 0.7 metres high. 'C' - SS 6719 4842. 14.5 metres in diameter, 0.7 metres high. 'D' - SS 6725 4834. 13.5 metres in diameter, 0.8 metres high with a central hollow 0.7 metres deep. 'E' - SS 6732 4836. 7.2 metres in diameter, 0.5 metres high. 'F' - SS 6732 4833. 6.5m diameter, 0.5m high 'G' - SS 6729 4823. 14.0 metres in diameter, 0.8 metres high with a central mutilation. 'H' - There is nothing at Grinsell's reference to suggest a cairn or barrow. It is now impossible to determine or depict any banks forming an 'avenue' near barrow G. 1:2500 survey revised. [5] SS 672484. Barrows SE of Martinhoe. Scheduled. (six shown on record plan). [6] ('B') Martinhoe 1. Cairn ring approximately 25 feet across surrounding 'interment pits', probable turf mound 18 inches high, classified Bronze Age as an 'enclosure barrow'. [7] (Centred SS 672 484) Tumuli (NR) (six shown) (SS 6729 423) Tumulus (NR). [8] Centred at SS 6727 4831. A group of seven barrows at about 265 metres above sea level to the southwest of a northward projecting spur of Martinhoe Common. The view to the northeast is therefore obscured, elsewhere it is unrestricted. The barrows, visible as grass-covered earth and stone flat-topped mounds, are situated on a gentle south-west slope, previously open moorland but ploughed after the war in 1945 and converted to grass [9]. The barrows appear to have been deliberately positioned to avoid the crest of the spur. There is no trace of the "doubtful" barrow H, in a fenced-off area of pasture to the south, but the remaining seven are clearly defined, generally retaining their shape well. There are no traces of any associated ditches. A. SS 67116 48471. Is 8.4 metres in diameter, 0.5 metreshigh and has a slight irregular central depression suggesting robbing. B. SS 67194 48463. Varies from 6 to 7 metres in diameter and is 0.5 metres high. It has been slightly mutilated by ploughing and was probably originally about 6.6 metres in diameter. The remains of a backfilled excavation trench about 1 metre wide is still evident, cutting north to south across the barrow. C. SS 67187 48431. Is 11.8 metres in diameter and 0.6 metres high. The remains of a backfilled excavation trench about 1 metre wide is still visible cuttingnorth-west to south-east accross the barrow. D. SS 67259 48349. Is 10 metres in diameter and 1.1 metres high. There is a large central depression about 3 metres north to south by 5.5 metres, probably the remains of an excavation. There is nothing to the south-east of the barrow but some 16 metres due west of its centre at SS 67235 48350 is an elongated turf-covered stony mound about 19 metres east to west by 6 metres and 0.4 metres high. This is probably the mound of spoil noted by Grinsell. E. SS 67330 48369. Is 7.2 metres in diameter and 0.4 metres high. The interior is uneven but there is no definate evidence of excavation. This barrow is nearest to the summit of the spur. F. SS 67325 48334. The smallest of the group, is 5.5 metres in diameter, 0.4 metres high and appears to be intact. G. SS 67292 48229. Is 12 metres in diameter, 0.9 metres high and the largest of the group. There is a central depression roughly oriented north-west to south-west which may be the remains of an excavation trench. (For the "avenue of banks", mentioned by [2] see MDE11237). (Note: Because of the discrepancies in the dimensions of the barrows they were all remeasured and are as now stated above. However none of the barrows were resurveyed the Ordnanace Survey 1:2500 positions being accepted). [10] Eight mounds are clearly visible on aerial photographs on the summit of Martinhoe Common. The eighth mound, referred to as Barrow H by [10], is centred at SS 6723 4827 and measures approximately 10 metres in diameter. It is not possible to ascertain from aerial photographs whether this mound is a barrow or cairn like the other monuments, or whether it represents spoil from excavations, or military remains. The eighth mound is not visible on photographs taken after 1946, and has presumably been destroyed by ploughing or similar activity. The avenue of banks (MDE11237) are believed to be part of anti-glider defences dating to the second World War. [11-13] Barrows southeast of Martinhoe. In a field now used for rough grazing. They were probably ploughed out in the past but have retained their shape well. [15] Barrows A, B, C, D, F and G are Scheduled. [20] The Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment of 2009 gave all of the barrows a survival score of 3. [21] The site was surveyed in June 2015 as part of the 2015 Exmoor Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment. All of the barrows were given a survival score of 0. [22] Monument record reviewed as part of NRHE to HER pilot project. [23,24]