Round barrow south-west of Uncleby Wold Barn

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 survives reasonably well, despite partial excavations in the nineteenth century which confirmed that the original barrow had been extensively re-used in the Anglo-Saxon period. Such re-use is rare in the Yorkshire Wolds and significantly enhances the importance of the monument. The barrow will retain further archaeological information, including evidence for the manner in which the original barrow was extended and further burial evidence. The mound is also associated with a number of other barrows in the area.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow, situated 110 metres south-west of the Uncleby Wold Barn farm, and which is part of a large and dispersed group of barrows on the Wolds in this area. The mound is of earthen construction, twenty-eight metres in diameter, and 0.9 metres high. In common with the other barrows in this area, the original mound was surrounded by a ditch, though this is not visible and now survives as a buried feature. Antiquarian excavations in the nineteenth century showed that this mound was originally constructed in the Bronze Age but was extended in the Saxon period to create a burial mound for at least seventy-one individuals, who were buried with associated grave goods.

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:

21058

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Greenwell, W, British Barrows, (1877), 136

End of official list entry

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