Round barrow and round cairn on Ryston Bank, 470m south west of Hanging Stone

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.

Round cairns are prehistoric funerary monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as stone mounds covering single or multiple burials. These burials may be placed within the mound in stone-lined compartments called cists. In some cases the cairn was surrounded by a ditch. Often occupying prominent locations, cairns are a major visual element in the modern landscape. They are a relatively common feature of the uplands and are the stone equivalent of the earthen round barrows. Their considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation 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, both the barrow and the cairn 470m south west of Hanging Stone have survived well. Significant information about the original form of the barrow and the cairn and the burials placed within them will be preserved. Evidence for earlier land use will also survive beneath the mounds. The barrow and the cairn belong to a group of four burial monuments and such clusters provide important evidence for the development of ritual and funerary practice during the Bronze Age. They are also situated in an area which includes other groups of burial monuments as well as field systems, enclosures and clearance cairns. Associated groups of monuments such as these offer important scope for the study of the distribution of prehistoric activity across the landscape.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow and an adjacent round cairn situated in a prominent position at the top of a north west facing scarp slope on the edge of the North York Moors. The barrow has an earthen mound 10m in diameter and standing up to 1m high. In the centre of the mound there is a hollow caused by past excavations. The cairn lies 10m to the north east of the barrow. It has a well defined steep sided stone mound 13m in diameter and standing up to 1.5m high. In the centre of the mound there is a hollow caused by past excavations. The barrow and the cairn are two in a line of four burial monuments spread along the top of Ryston Bank and lie in an area rich in prehistoric monuments including further barrows, field systems and clearance cairns. The ruined boundary wall which runs south west-north east across both mounds is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included.

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:

32007

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Crawford, G M, Bronze Age Burial Mounds in Cleveland, (1980)
Spratt, D A, Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, Vol. 87, (1993)

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