Round barrow 730m south east of Bethal Slack and 850m south east of reservoir

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1015774
Date first listed:: 31-Jan-1997

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1015774
Date first listed:: 31-Jan-1997

Location

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

District:: Redcar and Cleveland (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Guisborough
National Park:: NORTH YORK MOORS
National Grid Reference:: NZ 63913 12671

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.

This barrow has survived well and significant information about the original form of the barrow and the burials placed within it will be preserved. Evidence of earlier land use will also survive beneath the barrow mound. Together with other barrows in the area it is thought to represent a territorial marker. Similar groups of monuments are also known across the west and central areas of the North York Moors, providing important insight into burial practice. Such groupings of monuments offer important scope for the study of the division of land for social and ritual purposes in different geographical areas during the prehistoric period.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated in a prominent position on the north edge of the North York Moors. The barrow has an earth and stone mound standing 0.8m high. It is round in shape and 6m in diameter. It was originally surrounded by a kerb of stones which defined the barrow and supported the mound. However none of these stones are now visible as they have been taken away or buried by soil slipping from the mound. Unlike other barrows in the area this mound has not been excavated. The barrow lies in an area rich in prehistoric monuments including further barrows, field systems and clearance cairns.

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:: 28274
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Elgee, F, Early Man in NE Yorkshire, (1930), 148
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, , Vol. BAR 104, (1993), 91-116

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.