Bowl barrow 230m west of summit of Musden Low

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 investigations at the monument's centre the bowl barrow 230m west of the summit of Musden Low survives well. These investigations located human remains and associated artefacts, and further evidence of interments and grave goods will exist within the mound and upon the old landsurface. The monument is a rare example in the Peak District of a bowl barrow displaying re-use during Anglian times.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located on a ridge crest at the base of a steep slope 230m to the west of the summit of Musden Low. It survives as a slightly oval flat-topped earthen mound up to 1.5m high with maximum dimensions of 24m by 22.5m. A low lynchet truncates the extreme northwestern edge of the barrow. Limited antiquarian investigations at the monument's centre located up to 10 inhumations including one indicated by associated artefacts to be of Anglian date, two cremations, pottery, flint and bronze 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:

13553

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Bateman, , Ten Years Digging (1861), (1861), 148

Other
Bateman, Illustrations of Antiquity (Unpub volume of drawings), Sheffield City Museum
Carrington, Barrow Diggers (Unpub MS with letters and notes), 1848,
Carrington, Barrow Diggers (Unpub MS with letters and notes), 1848,
Carrington, Barrow Diggers (Unpub MS with letters and notes), 1848,
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)
Bateman, Desc & Obs Further Discoveries in the Barrows of Derbyshire,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.