MSO6734 - Lark Barrow (Monument)

Summary

The remains of a Bronze Age round barrow, overlain by a junction of field boundaries. The monument is visible as a very low mound 22m in diameter and 0.4m high, overlain by a farm track.

Please read the Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record .

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status

Full Description

At SS 8230 4143 a mound is shown [2],[4] and named "Lark Barrow" or "Larks Barrow"[1]. The Barrow must have been destroyed and the material used in making the stone banks when the fields were enclosed in the 1850s. [3] [1-5] There are no certain remains of this barrow, but it is possible that a segment of it survives in the angle subdivided by two field walls at SS 82284147. Here there is a grass covered mound 0.9m high, but its date relative to the field walls cannot be determined by visual inspection. Surveyed at 1:2500. [6] SS 8228 4147: Exford 7. Lark Barrow is c. 16 paces in diameter and 3 feet high. A segment is left in the northeastern angle of wall junction and the surviving part, about a quarter, is 8 yards across. It had various names throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries. [7] MacDermot [8] in 1911 wrote that there was no sign of Lark Barrow but it formerly stood not far from the head of Spraccombe or Orchard Bottom. It was mentioned in the Forest Perambulations of 1651 and 1851 in use as a boundary marker, and by Thomas Pearse in 1678 as one of the principal boundaries of Exmoor Forest. [8] The remains of Lark Barrow are centred at SS 8229 4146. They are now overlain by a junction of field boundaries, one of which marks the parish boundary separating Exford from Exmoor. The remains lie predominantly within Exford parish and now consist of a very slight swelling some 22 metres in diameter and 0.4 metres high. The mound is overlain by a farm track running adjacent to the parish boundary, southwestwards from Larkbarrow Corner. The mounding described by [6] within the northeast angle of the field junction, may be partly caused by the field boundaries themselves, but undoubtedly contains barrow fabric. [9] Lark Barrow is as described by [9]. [10-11] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [13]

Sources/Archives (14)

  • <1> Monograph: Orwin, C.S.. 1929. The Reclamation of Exmoor Forest. Oxford University Press. 1st Edition. Map facing 20.
  • <2> Map: 1840. Exford Tithe Map and Apportionment.
  • <3> Monograph: Meynell, L.. 1953. The Regional Books Series: Exmoor. Robert Hale Ltd.. 1st Edition.
  • <4> Map: Hawkes, T.. 1846. Almsworthy enclosure map. 26.6 inches : 1 mile. Pen and Ink.
  • <5> Map: Kelsey, F.J.. 1818. The Map Referred to in the annexed Award [Exmoor Inclosure Award]. 4 inches : 1 mile. Pen and Ink.
  • <5> Map: Kelsey, F.J.. 1818. A Map of Exmoor Forest Referred to by the annexed Award. 4 inches : 1 mile. Pen and Ink.
  • <6> Unpublished document: PITCHER, GHP. Field Investigators Comments. Ordnance Survey visit, F1, 28 June 1965.
  • <7> Article in serial: Grinsell, L.V.. 1969. Somerset Barrows. Part I: West and South. Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society. 113. 13, 16, 32.
  • <8> Monograph: MacDermot, E.T.. 1973. The History of the Forest of Exmoor. David and Charles Limited. Revised Edition. 301, 349, 401, 422, 426.
  • <9>XY Unpublished document: Wilson-North, R.. Various. Field Investigators Comments. RCHME Field Investigation, 13 December 1995. [Mapped feature: #47363 ]
  • <10> Unpublished document: JAMIESON, EJ. Field Investigators Comments. English Heritage Field Investigation, 2001.
  • <11> Report: Jamieson, E.. 2001. Larkbarrow Farm, Exmoor, Somerset.
  • <12> Article in serial: Wilson-North, R.. 2005/2006. Larkbarrow - Fact, Folly and Failure. Exmoor Visitor.
  • <13> Digital archive: Historic England. Various. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) entry. 36270, Extant 12 July 2021.

External Links (1)

Other Statuses/References

  • Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MSO11257
  • Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MSO6865
  • Local List Status (Unassessed)
  • National Monuments Record reference: SS 84 SW24
  • NRHE HOB UID (Pastscape): 36270
  • Somerset SMR PRN (Somerset): 33598

Map

Location

Grid reference SS 8229 4146 (point)
Map sheet SS84SW
Civil Parish EXFORD, WEST SOMERSET, SOMERSET
Civil Parish EXMOOR, WEST SOMERSET, SOMERSET

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (3)

Record last edited

Oct 13 2021 11:18AM

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