Two round barrows on Yearsley Moor 550m south west of High Lions' Lodge

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1013449
Date first listed:: 24-May-1951

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1013449
Date first listed:: 24-May-1951
Date of most recent amendment:: 29-Aug-1995

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Yearsley
National Grid Reference:: SE 57219 74990

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 altered by agricultural activity these barrows are still visible as earthworks and so significant information about the structure of the mound, the surrounding ditch and the burials will be preserved. They are part of a closely associated group of barrows in the vicinity. Similar groups of monuments are also known across the region and offer important scope for the study of burial practice in different geographical areas in the prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes two adjacent round barrows which are part of a group situated on the west edge of Yearsley Moor. Although altered by agricultural activity, both barrows are still visible as low mounds, 0.6m and 0.4m high respectively. The northern barrow is round in shape and 30m in diameter. The southern barrow is round in shape and measures 15m in diameter. Both of the barrow mounds were each surrounded by a quarry ditch up to 3m wide which has become filled in over the years and is no longer visible as an earthwork.

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:: 26969
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
McElvaney, M, Howardian Hills AONB Historic Environment Study, (1994)

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.