Nether 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 Nether Low bowl barrow has been partially excavated and disturbed by stone-getting, it is still reasonably well-preserved and retains further significant archaeological remains.

Details

The monument is located in the western uplands of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire and is a roughly circular bowl barrow comprising a mound measuring 20m by 19m wide and standing c.1.6m high. The barrow, which is of cairn construction, was disturbed by stone getters in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century; a fact noted by Thomas Bateman who carried out two partial excavations of the site in 1849. During his first investigation, Bateman found the remains of two burials: one an inhumation, the other a cremation. During his second exploration, he found, at the west side of the barrow, three inhumations, at least one of which was contracted, lying in rock-cut graves. The contracted skeleton was accompanied by a partially serrated knife and a spearpoint, both of flint, while one of the other two was accompanied by a boar tusk, a piece of haematite, a flint tool and a jet bead found close to the neck. Above the latter burial, closer to the surface of the mound, a fourth skeleton was found in a cist or grave covered by a capstone and accompanied by deer antlers and a flint point. A further flint implement and the remains of an infant were found near the edge of the barrow. The remains date the barrow to the Bronze Age. The field walls crossing the edges of the monument are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath 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:

23285

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, Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills, (1861), 51-2
Marsden, B M, The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire , (1977), 28

End of official list entry

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