Galley Low bowl barrow

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.

Although Galley Low bowl barrow is somewhat degraded by ploughing and has been disturbed by partial excavation, it is still an impressive and reasonably well-preserved example and retains sufficient intact deposits to be considered of national importance.

Details

Galley Low bowl barrow is a roughly circular cairn situated on Brassington Moor in the south-eastern uplands of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a mound measuring 31m by 28m by c.2m high and the surrounding construction ditch which is buried beneath accumulated soil. Originally the barrow was somewhat larger, its edges having been reduced by agricultural activity. In addition, the mound has been partially disturbed by excavations carried out by Thomas Bateman in 1843 and 1844. During these excavations, the barrow was found to contain at least eight adult and child skeletons, including one associated with a cremation on a flat stone and another with a pottery food vessel. These and other objects date the barrow to the Bronze Age, during which time it had an extended period of use. In addition, iron rivets and arrowheads, a glazed pot-sherd and a seventh century necklace indicate the re-use of the barrow in the Anglian period. Bateman's account of his excavations also indicates that, in the late eighteenth century, a second smaller ditched cairn lay adjacent to Galley Low on its south side. Insufficient is known about the location and condition of this second barrow, however, and it has not been included in the scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 4 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:

13328

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, Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire, (1849), 37-39
Bateman, T, Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire, (1849), 53-4
Marsden, B M, The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire, (1986), 24
Fowler, M J, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal in The Anglian Settlement of the Derbys-Staffs. Peak District, Vol. 74, (1954), 146-7
Manby, T G, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal in Food Vessels of the Peak District (1957), Vol. 77, (1957), 1-29

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