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.
Flat Howe round barrow is a well preserved example of a Bronze Age burial
mound. Excavations of round barrows in the region have shown that they
demonstrate a wide range of burial rites from simple scatters of cremated
material to coffin inhumations and cremations contained in urns, typically
dating to the Bronze Age. A common factor is that barrows were normally used
for more than one burial and that the primary burial was frequently on or
below the original ground surface, often with secondary burials located within
the body of the mound. Most barrows include a small number of grave goods.
These are often small pottery food vessels, but stone, bone, jet and bronze
items have also occasionally been found. Shallow ditches immediately
encircling the mounds are also quite common, and often contain valuable
environmental information.
Details
The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of a prehistoric burial
mound located on the eastern side of Glaisdale High Moor, at the head of
Glaisdale valley.
Flat Howe survives as a 21m diameter mound standing up to 1.8m high. All sides
except the eastern are steep sided, forming a slope close to 45 degrees. The
eastern side is more gently sloping and is slightly irregular in profile. The
top of the mound is slightly dished and is topped on the southern side by a 2m
diameter modern stone cairn. Surrounding the foot of the mound there are
indications of a 2m wide external ditch which is now mainly silted. Flat Howe
commands good views down the length of Glaisdale, but is not itself
particularly prominent, being sited on the hillside rather than on a skyline.
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.
