Square barrow 200m NE of Clarke Scars

Reasons for Designation

Square barrows are funerary monuments of the Middle Iron Age, most examples dating from the period between c.500 BC and c.50 BC. The majority of these monuments are found in the area between the River Humber and the southern slopes of the North Yorkshire Moors but a wider distribution has also been identified, principally through aerial photography, spreading through the river valleys of the Midlands and south Essex. Around 200 square barrow cemeteries have been recorded; in addition, a further 250 sites consisting of single barrows or small groups of barrows have been identified. Square barrows, which may be square or rectangular, were constructed as earthen mounds surrounded by a ditch and covering one or more bodies. Slight banks around the outer edge of the ditch have been noted in some examples. The main burial is normally central and carefully placed in a rectangular or oval grave pit, although burials placed on the ground surface below the mound are also known. A number of different types of burial have been identified, accompanied by grave goods which vary greatly in range and type. The most elaborate include the dismantled parts of a two-wheeled vehicle placed in the grave with the body of the deceased. Ploughing and intensive land use since prehistoric times have eroded and levelled most square barrows and very few remain as upstanding monuments, although the ditches and the grave pits, with their contents, will survive beneath the ground surface. The different forms of burial and the variations in the type and range of artefacts placed in the graves provide important information on the beliefs, social organisation and material culture of these Iron Age communities and their development over time. All examples of square barrows which survive as upstanding earthworks, and a significant proportion of the remainder, are considered of national importance and worthy of protection.

This square barrow survives well as an upstanding earthwork and is one of the most northerly examples of this monument class yet identified. It is associated with a group of burial monuments of an earlier date and will contribute to the study of changing burial practices in the prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a square barrow situated in a prominent position on the west edge of the Hambleton Hills overlooking the Vale of the Ure. The barrow has an earth and stone mound standing 0.6m high. It is roughly square in shape with slightly curved sides and sharply rounded corners; it measures 6.5m across. The centre of the mound has been dug into in the past leaving a large hollow. The mound is surrounded by a ditch 1m wide and 0.3m deep. It lies in close proximity to a group of round barrows and a prehistoric linear boundary system.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

24464

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
(1972)

End of official list entry

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