Two round barrows known as Beacon Howes, 250m south of Fairview

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.

Although partly reduced by agricultural activity the two round barrows known as Beacon Howes 250m south of Fairview have survived well. Significant information about the original construction of the barrows, the burials placed within them and their relationship with other monuments in the area will be preserved. Evidence of earlier land use will also survive beneath the barrow mounds.

Details

The monument includes two adjacent round barrows and the area between them in which unmarked burials and other archaeological remains may survive. The monument is situated in a prominent position overlooking the sea to the east. The barrows are part of a group of similar monuments lying between the sea and the predominantly heather covered moorland characteristic of the North York Moors lying to the west. The area has been enclosed and brought into agricultural use, however, it is known that the prehistoric period saw intensive use of the land for agricultural and ritual purposes. Some remains of these activities survive today. Each barrow has an earth and stone mound standing 30m apart. The western mound measures 18m in diameter and is 1.3m high. The eastern mound has been partly reduced by agricultural activity and measures 15m in diameter and is 0.5m high. Each of the mounds was surrounded by a ditch up to 3m wide which has been filled in and is no longer visible as an earthwork. The stone wall which crosses the eastern mound 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:

34420

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of Durham and N' land., (1994), 1-32

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