Three round barrows in North Dalton village

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 partial excavation these three barrows survive reasonably well. They will retain significant information on their original form and the manner and duration of their usage.

Details

The monument includes three Prehistoric round barrows. The barrows are situated on a plot of land behind the village of North Dalton. The most northerly of the three barrow mounds is 1m high and 8m in diameter. The central mound is 10m in diameter and 1m high. The most southerly of the three barrow mounds is also 10m in diameter and 1m in height. All three of the barrows have flattened tops with hollowed centres, the result of nineteenth century excavations. Although no longer visible at ground level each of the barrow mounds is surrounded by a ditch from which material was excavated during the construction of the monument. These have become in-filled over the years but survive as buried features 4m wide. Each of the barrow mounds has been excavated in some way, as the hollows in their centres show, but it is not known when, or by whom, these investigations were carried out.

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:

21122

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
32, Humberside SMR 32,
3859, Humberside SMR 3859,
3257, Humberside SMR 3257,

End of official list entry

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