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.
Details
Haddon Fields is located on the eastern shelves south of Wye Dale on the
limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes the northernmost of
two bowl barrows on Haddon Fields and is a sub-circular mound measuring 20.5m
by 13m by c.0.6m high. Formerly, the barrow would have been somewhat higher
and more uniformly round. However, it has been ploughed over in the past
which has caused some distortion of the original form. It may have been the
barrow on Haddon Fields partially excavated by Thomas Bateman in 1860 in which
was found a contracted skeleton on a bed of charred wood accompanied by a
flint arrowhead, a bone spatula and a bronze awl. This, however, has not been
confirmed and it is the location and appearance of the barrow, and its
proximity to others of the same kind, which date it to the Bronze Age.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
13361
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
