Round barrow 520m WNW of Quarry Cottage

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 some disturbance caused to the south side of the mound by badger sets, the burial mound 520m WNW of Quarry Cottage survives well. Limited excavation of part of the mound has confirmed that it will contain archaeological remains.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a substantial mound containing the remains of a burial of Bronze Age date. It is situated in a field of rough pasture c.800m inland from the coast. A rubbing post of 19th century date is situated on the mound. The mound is irregular in shape, measuring 55m north-south by 90m east-west. It survives up to 3m high. Although it is of abnormally large size and has a natural appearance, limited excavation in 1928 indicated that the mound was artificial. The remains of a cist are visible c.3m to the south of the summit of the mound. This consists of a rectangular pit, 1m by 1.3m, sunk into the surface of the mound to a depth of 0.65m. The sides are lined with limestone slabs and the top of the cist is covered by a large cap stone, 1.38m long by 0.75m wide and 0.15m deep. An Ordnance Survey document of the 19th century records that an urn was recovered from the mound. A small excavation in 1928 examined the cist, which was protruding from the edge of the mound. The contents of the cist comprised the fragmentary remains of a skeleton, identified as being a male c.1.7m in height. The telegraph poles on the north side of the mound are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

24637

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Greenwell, Canon, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne in Note, Vol. 2ndser1, (1883), 57
Hodgkin, R A, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tumuli south of Bamburgh Castle, Vol. 4thser4, (1931), 242-247

End of official list entry

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