Two round barrows 600m north-west of High Gardham Farm

Reasons for Designation

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Despite limited plough damage and partial excavation these barrows remain visible and survive reasonably well. They will retain significant information on the original form and manner and duration of their usage. They will also contribute to an understanding of the wider group of which they are members.

Details

The monument includes two Bronze Age bowl barrows, orientated east-west, part of a wider group in this area of the Yorkshire Wolds. The western barrow mound is 0.35m high and 40m in diameter; the eastern mound is 0.12m high and 20m in diameter. Although no longer visible at ground level each barrow mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material was excavated during its construction. The ditches have become in-filled over the years but survive as buried features 4m wide. Canon Greenwell, the 19th century antiquarian, investigated the western barrow in 1866. He found the cremated remains of an adult in a slight hollow beneath the mound. The western barrow appears not to have been excavated.

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:

21229

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Greenwell, W, British Barrows, (1877), 280-281
Greenwell, W, Catalogue of...the Greenwell Collection, (1985), 60

Other
737, Humberside SMR,

End of official list entry

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