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Three round barrows at Three Hills 500m north east of Camp House

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1015764
Date first listed:: 07-Mar-1969

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1015764
Date first listed:: 07-Mar-1969
Date of most recent amendment:: 02-Jul-1997

Location

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

District:: North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: West Tanfield
National Grid Reference:: SE 28579 80119

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 limited disturbance these barrows have survived well. Significant information about the original form of the barrows and the burials placed within them will be preserved. Evidence of earlier land use will also survive beneath the barrow mounds. The barrows lie in close proximity to the major prehistoric ritual monument at Thornborough dating to the Neolithic period which includes three henges, a cursus and a pit alignment. The relationship between the ritual monument and the barrows offers important information for understanding the development and nature of ritual and funerary practices through the prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes three round barrows situated in the Vale of Mowbray. The barrows lie in a line orientated north east to south west and are 14m and 22m apart respectively. Although reduced by agricultural activity the barrows survive as low circular mounds up to 0.4m high and 30m in diameter. The barrow mounds were each originally surrounded by a ditch up to 3m wide, however the ditches have been buried by soil spread from the mounds and are no longer visible as earthworks. The barrows were partly excavated in the 19th century when cremation burials were found in all the mounds.

The barrows lie close to the major prehistoric ritual monument at Thornborough which includes three henges, a cursus and further barrows.

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:: 29508
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Record Cards,
Title: Ordnance Survey Record Card Source Date: Author: Publisher: Surveyor:

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.