Otterford, Robin Hood's Butts - geograph

Robin Hood's Butts are a group of nine

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

barrows near

Otterford Otterford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated on the Blackdown Hills, south of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The village has a population of 356. The River Otter rises close to Otterford. Hi ...

on the Blackdown Hills in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. They have been scheduled as

ancient monument In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument (e.g. an archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. The ''Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 ...

Description

Two of the

bowl barrow A bowl barrow is a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from its resemblance to an upturned bowl. Related terms include ''cairn circle'', ''cairn ring'', ''howe'', ''ker ...

s and north west of Brown Down Cottage are between and in diameter. The two west and north west of Beech Croft are slightly larger with one being and the other in diameter. The other barrows are of the round barrow type and are located south of School Farm. Four are bowl shaped and the other a bell barrow.

Origin of names

The origin of the name is unknown, however local folklore describes their use by

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

and

Little John Little John is a companion of Robin Hood who serves as his chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men. He is one of only a handful of consistently named characters who relate to Robin Hood and one of the two oldest Merry Men, al ...

to play

quoits Quoits ( or ) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The game of quoits encompasses several distinct var ...

. The name is known to have been used since the 19th century appearing on a

tithe map The term tithe map is usually applied to a map of an English or Welsh parish or township, prepared following the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods. The map and its accompanying schedule gave ...

created in 1844.

References

{{coord, 50.9087, -3.0866, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Scheduled monuments in Taunton Dene Archaeological sites in Somerset