Hoon Mount platformed 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.

Superficially similar in form to prehistoric bowl barrows are hlaews of Anglo-Saxon or Viking date. These burial monuments were constructed during the pagan Saxon and Viking periods for high-ranking individuals, and are much rarer than prehistoric bowl barrows with only 50 to 60 recognised examples in the country. They served as visible and ostentatious markers of the social position of their occupiers and some appear to have been specifically located to mark territorial boundaries. Hoon Mount is a large and well-preserved example of a bowl barrow which has not been excavated or disturbed by past agricultural practices, and so contains rare intact archaeological remains which will include evidence of the barrow's origins. Its location on a platform is an unusual feature and illustrates well the diversity of both classes of monument.

Details

Hoon Mount bowl barrow is located in a commanding position on the summit of Hoon Ridge. The monument includes a large earthen mound and the platform on which it stands. The platform is sub-rectangular and measures approximately 22m along the east side, 30m along the north side, 27m along the west side and 25m along the south side. It stands c.1m high and a 2m wide ditch flanks it along the east side. Along the south side are a number of hollows which, together with the ditch, show the site of the hedge enclosure which formerly surrounded the platform. The mound is c.3m high and has a diameter of roughly 23m. No excavation of the monument has been carried out and so it cannot be precisely dated. However, its form and location assign it to the Bronze Age or, possibly, to the Anglian period. The trig point on the summit of the barrow, and the fencing and hedge boundaries along the north and west sides of the platform, are excluded from the scheduling although the ground underneath is included.

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:

23278

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Cameron, K, The Place Names of Derbyshire, (1959), 29, 573
Marsden, B M, The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire , (1977), 62

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