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.
Details
The monument includes a long barrow located on a slight terrace on the
hillslope north of a low flat-topped hill known locally as Skelmore Heads. It
is aligned east-west and includes a partly mutilated mound of earth and stones
with maximum dimensions of 22m long by 13m wide. Towards its eastern end it
measures up to 1.3m high but the barrow tapers down towards the western end
where it measures approximately 0.5m high. There are two upright stones
located within the barrow towards its eastern end; these protrude
approximately 0.5m amd 0.3m high above the surface of the monument. Limited
excavation undertaken in 1957 revealed that there had been some unrecorded
disturbance between the two stone uprights. This disturbance may correspond to
digging which took place c.1930 when finds of bone and pottery were made.
During the 1957 excavation, the stumps of a further two stone uprights were
located towards the western end of the barrow. These uprights are in alignment
with the two larger upright stones towards the eastern end of the barrow and
are regarded by the excavator as an important element in the ritual laying out
of the monument.
A drystone wall on the monument's northern side is excluded from the
scheduling but the ground beneath it is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
27689
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
