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.
Details
Blackstone's Low bowl barrow is a sub-circular cairn situated on Ballidon Moor
in the south-eastern uplands of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The
monument includes a well-preserved mound measuring 23m by 20m and standing
c.1.8m high. This was partially excavated by Thomas Bateman in 1849 and found
to contain human remains and artefacts dateable to the Bronze Age. These
included a limestone cist containing a crouched skeleton accompanied by a
flint implement, three more crouched skeletons outside the cist and a fifth
skeleton which had been either burned or defleshed since the long bones had
been laid parallel to one another whilst still fresh. On the capstone of the
limestone cist was another smaller cist which held a collared urn containing a
cremation and the burnt remains of a bone pin, flint arrowhead and fine
pot-sherd. A layer of burnt earth and sand was also found above the limestone
cist and contained calcined human bones which included those of an infant.
This indicates that a cremation had taken place on the barrow. The urned
cremation was inserted at a later date than the other burials and demonstrates
that the barrow was in use over an extended period of time. The fragments of
another urn were found near the top of the mound along with calcined bone from
another secondary cremation.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
13327
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
