More information : SX 89295732. The chambered tomb at Broadsands was
discovered by the late Guy Belleville and excavated in April-May 1958. The tomb is a small passage grave with megalithic
orthostats and a coverstone, with dry walling filling the
interstices. The chamber is irregular, about 11 feet by 7 feet
and over 5 feet high. The passage is 13 feet long with the
entrance set in a slight hollow in the outline of the mound.
This mound, probably round and some 40 feet in diameter, was formed of stones carefully locked together. Three primary burials, the bones fragmented and dispersed, were found
together with sherds of black, highly polished Western
Neolithic pottery. The chamber was later cleared and "purified" by small ritual fires, and a pavement of irregular stone slabs
laid on the floor.
The chamber was then re-used. Part of a flexed skeleton was found `in situ` on the pavement, it had not been disturbed
until the rifling and destruction of the tomb, probably in the
early Middle Ages. A decorated sherd of Peterborough ware was associated with this burial and a fragment of Beaker ware should probably be attributed to this stage. (1)
Neolithic chambered round barrow some 40 ft diameter. Excavation in 1958 found three primary burials, the bones fragmented and dispersed, associated with black highly polished Neolithic pottery. At a later date the chamber had been cleared and a pavement of stone slabs laid on the floor, on which part of a flexed inhumation was found together with sherds of Beaker and Peterborough ware. It had not been disturbed until the rifling of the tomb, probably in the early middle ages.(2)
A Neolithic chambered tomb or passage grave located on the southern slope overlooking Torbay coast at Broadsands. This megalithic chamber has a single parallel-sided entrance passage 3.8 metres long and 1.2 metres wide lined with alternating orthostats and dry stone walling set within a near circular cairn 12 metres in diameter at construction but later reduced to 7 metres north east by 9 metres east west.The tomb comprises of a polygonal chamber with dimensions of 3.35 metres by 2.1 metres and maximum height of 1.6 metres. The chamber was constructed of eleven local limestone upright orthostats with an infill of horizontally placed dry stone walling. Seven orthostats remain in situ while one of the huge capstones now lies semi upright on the southern side of the monument. Excavation produced evidence for three primary inhumations that of two adults and one infant associated with Neolithic pottery. A secondary inhumation of a young adult was found on the stone floor with late Neolithic pottery. Evidence was also found of a ritual cleansing prior to reuse and a later disturbance during the Medieval period when the tomb was incorporated into a hedge bank marking the parish boundary between Paignton and Churston Ferrers. (2)
Scheduled. For the designation record of this site please see The National Heritage List for England. (2-3) |