MDE1460 - Twitchen Barrows (Monument)

Twitchen Barrows (Tumuli) [O.E.] [1] Tumulus at 'A' approximately 35 feet in diameter and 5 feet 6 inches in height. Tumulus at 'B' approximately 60 feet in diameter and 5 feet 6 inches in height. [2] West barrow sited at SS 8031 3226, visited by Grinsell 26 October 1959. Hole at Centre. "Two stones lying outwards, perhaps from some internal structure" [3]. East barrow sited SS 8040 3226, visited by Grinsell 26.10.59. Both barrows are mutilated. The barrows are situated on heathland. [4] SS 8032 3225. A grass covered round barrow 14.0 metres in diameter and 1.7 metres high. Excavation hollow in centre, but Clarke's stones not visible in centre or perimeter. SS 8041 3225. A grass covered round barrow 20.0 metres in diameter and up to 1.7 metres high. The broad top has been excessively dug into by way of pits and trenches. Both barrows are in reclaimed pasture. Ordnance Survey 1:2500 surveys revised. [5] Scheduled 672. [6] Twitchen Barrows, a pair of prehistoric round barrows, are centred at SS 8038 3225, at the east end of the summit of Twitchen Ridge. The westerly barrow, centred at SS 8032 3225, consists of a circular mound 11.5 metres in diameter and 1.4 metres high. A possible excavation trench, 2.2 metres wide, 3.4 metres long and 0.3 metres deep has been driven into the summit from the south. It has been exploited by an animal scrape. There is no trace of an encircling ditch around the barrow. The easterly barrow, centred at SS 8041 3225, measures 19.4 metres north to south by 23.1 metres west to east and is 1.3 metres high. It has been extensively robbed, and is bisected by a zig zagging robbing trench 0.5 metres deep running roughly west to east. To the north of this the barrow appears largely intact, whilst to the south the surface is uneven and very disturbed. Both barrows are covered in close cropped grass and lie within improved pasture. Loose stone is scattered on the surface and may be associated with modern field clearance. [7] Both mounds are clearly visible on aerial photographs from the 1940s onwards. On photographs taken on recent aerial reconnaissance flights the damage to the monuments is clear. [8-10] The site was visited as part of the Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment of 2009. The surveyor gave the western barrow a survival score of 0 and the eastern one a score of 3. [13] The site was surveyed in March 2015 as part of the 2015 Exmoor Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment. The western barrow was given a survival score of 0 and the eastern one a score of 3. [14] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [15]