Round barrow 570m north west of Box Hall

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.

Excavations of round barrows in the region have shown that they demonstrate a very 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. Excavation has also shown that shallow ditches immediately encircling the mounds are common, normally surviving as infilled features rather than as earthworks. The infill of these ditches will also contain valuable information about changes in the local environment from the Bronze Age onwards. The barrow 570m north west of Box Hall is a good example of the smaller type of Bronze Age round barrow that is sometimes found within areas of prehistoric field systems. The majority of round barrows in the region were dug into by 19th century antiquarians in search of burials and artifacts, leaving behind a central depression as evidence of their work. This barrow has escaped excavation and is thus of particular importance.

Details

The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of a small prehistoric burial mound sited on a south west facing hillside below Three Howes Rigg. It is the southern of a pair of barrows and lies in an area of dispersed prehistoric field system remains that extends across the hillside, mainly to the south east. The barrow, which is not prominently sited, is just over 7m in diameter, standing up to 0.5m high. It is well preserved and shows no evidence of disturbance by archaeological excavation.

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:

32618

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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