Long barrow 350m north west of Grimston Grange

Reasons for Designation

Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows appear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and, consequently, it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 examples of long barrows and long cairns, their counterparts in the uplands, are recorded nationally. As one of the few types of Neolithic structure to survive as earthworks, and due to their comparative rarity, their considerable age and their longevity as a monument type, all long barrows are considered to be nationally important.

There are few long barrows in northern England and, as a well preserved example, this barrow retains significant information about its original form and the burials placed within it. Evidence of earlier land use beneath the mound will also survive. The area around the entrance will also retain remains of ritual activities. There are later prehistoric round barrows in the wider area and taken together this grouping offers important scope for the study of the development of ritual and burial practice during the prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a long barrow and adjacent ritual areas situated in a prominent position. The barrow has a sand and stone mound orientated north west to south east, measuring 42m in length. The mound is 22m wide and 2.4m high at the south end and tapers to 12m wide and 1.5m high at the northern end. Access into the mound and the burials it enclosed was provided by an entrance at the wider south end. Evidence from excavated sites has demonstrated that rituals relating to burial and remembrance of the dead were performed around this entrance area. Traces of these rituals will be preserved in the area and may include pits filled with debris and materials resulting from ceremonial burnings. There is a hollow in the top of the mound resulting from the part excavation of the barrow. This investigation by Canon Greenwell in 1867 revealed that the mound had an internal stone kerb along each side and uncovered a single burial in a stone cist with associated artefacts. The fence and small brick inspection chamber are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features 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:

28219

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Kinnes, I A, Longworth, I H, The Greenwell Collection, (1985), 110
Vyner, B E, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society in The Excavation of a Neolithic Cairn at Street House, Loftus, Cld, Vol. VOL 50, (1984), 151-195

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

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.