Two round barrows on Newclose Rigg, 810m north east of High Rigg Farm

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1020216
Date first listed:: 10-Oct-2001

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1020216
Date first listed:: 10-Oct-2001

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Thornton-le-Dale
National Park:: NORTH YORK MOORS
National Grid Reference:: SE 86866 89507

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 two round barrows on Newclose Rigg, 810m north east of High Rigg Farm are in a good state of preservation. They are among only a few barrows identified in the Dalby Forest area which do not appear to have been excavated in the past and will therefore, have undisturbed archaeological deposits in the centre relating to the primary burials, which are less likely to survive in the part-excavated barrows. Important evidence for earlier land use and the contemporary environment will also survive beneath the barrow mounds. The barrows belong to a group of five burial monuments which extend along Newclose Rigg and lie in an area where there are many similar groups. Such clusters, and their associations with similar monument groups, provide important insight into the development and distribution of ritual and funerary practice during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes two round barrows which are situated in a prominent position on the central plateau of the Tabular Hills. They are located in Dalby Forest, at the top of the north west facing slope into Stain Dale. The eastern barrow has an earthen mound which measures 16m in diameter and stands up to 1.1m high. The centre of the mound has an irregular surface depression caused by animal burrowing. The western barrow lies 45m to the south west. It has an earthen mound which measures 20m in diameter and stands up to 1.5m high. The barrows lie in an area which has many other prehistoric monuments, including further burials and the remains of prehistoric land division.

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:: 34692
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Northern Archaeological Associates, , North York Moors Forest Survey Phase Two, (1996)
Northern Archaeological Associates, , North York Moors Forest Survey Phase Two, (1996)

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.