Bowl barrow known as Priestcliffe Low, 200m west of Low End Farm

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.

The bowl barrow known as Priestcliffe Low, 200m west of Low End Farm, is important as a surviving example of a bowl barrow in good condition. Although disturbed at the centre, much of the monument remains intact and will contain undisturbed archaeological information, possibly secondary cremations or inhumations.

Details

The monument includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow known as Priestcliffe Low, comprising a mound of earth and limestone standing in an elevated area directly to the east of a steep escarpment. The mound measures 23.5m by 19m and stands 1.5m high, appearing well defined and carefully constructed. The location of the monument confers extensive views in all directions and the barrow is easily visible from much of the surrounding area. The monument is associated with a spring that rises some 80m to the east of the mound. Small areas of the northern and western limits of the mound have been quarried, almost certainly to build the drystone wall that runs north-south across the eastern side of the monument. A minor disturbance to the centre of the mound is indicative of an antiquarian excavation, and may represent the excavations of September 1846 documented by Thomas Bateman. Bateman's investigation revealed the remains of a cremation and a fragment of decorated funerary urn. As an isolated monument, Priestcliffe Low is indicative of the ceremonial use of this area during the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age. Excluded from the scheduling is the drystone wall that crosses the monument, 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:

31302

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989), 5:9
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989), 5:9
Bateman, T, Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire, (1849), 95
Bevan, W J, Sidebottom, P, Priestcliffe Hall Farm Archaeological Survey 1995, (1995), 7,16-17

Other
Title: Priestcliffe Hall Farm Archaeological Survey 1995 Source Date: 1995 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: Survey plan (illustration 8)

End of official list entry

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