Reasons for Designation
A hlaew is a burial monument of Anglo-Saxon or Viking date and comprising a
hemispherical mound of earth and redeposited bedrock constructed over a
primary burial or burials. These were usually inhumations, buried in a grave
cut into the subsoil beneath the mound, but cremations placed on the old
ground surface beneath the mound have also been found. Hlaews may occur
in pairs or in small groups; a few have accompanying flat graves. Constructed
during the pagan Saxon and Viking periods for individuals of high rank, they
served as visible and ostentatious markers of their social position. Some
were associated with territorial claims and appear to have been specifically
located to mark boundaries. They often contain objects which give information
on the range of technological skill and trading contacts of the period. Only
between 50 and 60 hlaews have been positively identified in England. As a
rare monument class all positively identified examples are considered worthy
of preservation.
Details
Brundcliffe hlaew, or Anglian barrow, is situated in the western uplands of
the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a bowl-shaped
mound, disturbed on the south-west side by quarrying so that it now has a sub-
circular appearance and measures 14m by 11m in diameter by c.1m high. In 1847
the barrow was partially excavated by Thomas Bateman who recovered an extended
skeleton in a rock-cut grave, accompanied by an iron and wood object with
silver ornamentation and associated with traces of wooden planking interpreted
as the remains of a coffin. In addition there was a curved iron knife and the
sherds of a red earthenware jug of a rare Frankish type not normally found
outside Kent. Jugs of this kind date from the 6th century AD and after,
indicating a date for the barrow of c.AD600. Higher in the mound Bateman
found a horse cremation and charcoal. Excluded from the scheduling are the
wall and fence crossing the top of the mound but the ground underneath is
included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
13372
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
