High Field hlaew

Reasons for Designation

Hlaews are pre-Christian burial monuments of Anglo-Saxon or Viking date and may be found singly or in small groups. Typically they are constructed of earth and usually comprise a low hemispherical mound or a combination of mound, inner ditch and outer bank covering one or more burials which may be inhumations, cremations or both. Most hlaews contain rich grave-goods, indicating the high status of the occupants, and these goods date Anglian hlaews to the late sixth and early seventh centuries AD and Viking hlaews to the ninth century. There are only between fifty and sixty authenticated hlaews recorded nationally, with particular concentrations in the Peak District and Wiltshire. They are one of a restricted range of monuments from the Anglian and Viking periods and contain evidence not only of burial customs and craft skills but also of colonisation and settlement patterns. Because of this, and due to their extreme rarity, all hlaews exhibiting good survival are considered to be of national importance. Although the centre of High Field hlaew has been disturbed by excavation, it is still a well-preserved example and retains substantial areas of intact archaeological remains.

Details

High Field hlaew, or Anglian burial mound, is situated on Lapwing Hill which is part of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire and forms a promontory between Miller's Dale and Monsal Dale. The monument includes a sub-circular barrow measuring 17m by 14.5m and standing c.1m high. Originally it would have been more uniformly circular and slightly higher but ploughing in the past has altered the profile somewhat. In 1850 Thomas Bateman carried out a partial excavation of the barrow and found it to be of earthen construction with a central rock-cut grave which contained an extended inhumation which had been laid upon animal hides on a wooden bier or coffin. To the left was an iron sword with a sheath of thin wood covered in decorated leather, and a short iron knife which lay under the hilt of the sword. Above the right shoulder of the body were two iron spear points while, among the stones that filled the grave, about a foot from the bottom, were many iron objects of uncertain use but including clenched iron nails which would have been part of the coffin or bier. These remains indicate that the barrow was built in c.AD600.

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:

13385

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Bateman, T, Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills, (1861), 68-70
Marsden, B M, The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire , (1977), 25
Meaney, A L S, Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites, (1964)
Fowler, M J, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal in Anglian Settlement of the Peak, Vol. 74, (1954), 150
Lucas, J F, The Reliquary in The Reliquary, (1867)

End of official list entry

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