Bowl barrow south of Stanshope Pasture

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 antiquarian investigation of the monument's southern side the bowl barrow south of Stanshope Pasture survives well. These investigations located human and faunal remains together with pottery and flint artefacts and further similar evidence of interments and grave goods will survive within the barrow and upon the old land surface.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located on a hilltop at the south-eastern end of Stanshope Pasture ridge. The site is that of a rocky knoll which has been modified and added to and which now survives as an oval mound up to 2.3m high with maximum dimensions of 16.5m by 14m. The barrow possesses steep sides and has been disturbed on its southern side by a series of pits dug by antiquarian investigators from the edge of the mound to the centre. These limited investigations located two inhumations, 5 cremations, a cist, pottery, flint and bone artefacts.

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:

13531

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Bateman, , Ten Years Digging (1861), (1861), 142
Bateman, T, Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire, (1849), 86

Other
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)

End of official list entry

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