Reasons for Designation
Round barrows 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 mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered
single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as
cemeteries and often acted as a focus of 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 examples recorded nationally (many more have already
been destroyed), occurring across most of Britain, including the Wessex area
where it is often possible to classify them more closely, for example as bowl
or bell barrows. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major
historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation in
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.
The round barrow on Scawton Moor, 480m north east of High Lodge, is one of the
best preserved of an extensive group of round barrows on Scawton Moor which
together will retain important information about Bronze Age society in the
area.
Details
The monument includes earthwork and associated buried remains of a prehistoric
burial mound located at the southern, uphill end of Claythwaite Rigg,
overlooking the confluence of Nettle Dale and Rye Dale to the north.
The monument is one of a group of round barrows scattered for 3.5km along the
north side of the watershed to the south of Rye Dale. The other surviving
round barrows of this group are the subject of separate schedulings. The
barrow is intervisible with a second on Claythwaite Rigg 140m SSE and, without
intervening trees, with a barrow 450m to the WNW. It is also intervisible with
a barrow 600m to the south east. It is sited on level ground and is 22m in
diameter, 0.7m high with hints of an encircling ditch. In profile, the outer
edge of the mound steepens which suggests that the barrow has a stone kerbing
concealed beneath the turf. On its western side, forming a tangent to the very
edge of the mound orientated NNE to SSW there is a bank 20m long, 2.5m wide,
rising to 0.3m high. This is completely turfed over but has been described in
the past as being stoney. The bank is included in the scheduling.
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.
