Four round barrows 875m north west of High Blansby

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.

Although partly reduced by agricultural activity significant archaeological deposits will be preserved within the four round barrows 875m north west of High Blansby. They are four of many similar monuments in the immediate area and will preserve important evidence of the ritual use of the landscape. Excavation of other 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. Most barrows include a small number of grave goods. These are often small pottery food vessels, but stone, bone, jet and bronze items have also occasionally been found.

Details

The monument includes earthwork and buried remains of a group of four prehistoric round barrows. They are located on the high ground in the northern part of the area of land known as Blansby Park. The monument is divided into three separate areas of protection, one of which includes two adjacent barrows and the other two areas include one barrow each. Blansby Park lies on the southern limestone fringe of the predominantly sandstone North York Moors. It occupies a broad promontory of undulating land defined by the deep valleys of Gundale Beck to the west and Newton Dale to the east and south. Archaeological evidence shows that the land was used intensively in the prehistoric, Roman and medieval periods for agricultural and ritual purposes. Remains of these activities survive today. The pair of adjacent barrows lie at the north west of the group and are located at NGR SE81998803. The northernmost of the pair has a 7m diameter flat-topped earth and stone mound standing 0.75m high. There are a number of squared stones up to 0.3m by 0.2m erected around the edge of the mound. These are the remains of the stone kerbing, which originally encircled the mound. The second barrow is centred 25m to the SSW of the first. This is irregular in shape having been clipped by arable ploughing. It has an earth and stone mound measuring 7m north to south by 5m east to west and stands 0.5m high. The top of the barrow is slightly dished which is the result of investigations in the past. The area between the mounds is included to preserve the stratigraphic relationship between them. One of the single barrows lies 50m to the south east of the pair and is located at NGR SE82028800. This barrow is shown on a map in 1928 to measure approximately 15m in diameter. However it has been subsequently reduced by ploughing and is now visible as an earth and stone, flat-topped mound standing 0.5m high. Although originally circular in shape the edges have been clipped by ploughing and the upstanding mound now measures 6 sq m. Remains of the full extent of the original barrow around this presently visible mound are protected. The other single barrow lies 110m to the south east and is located at NGR SE82128794. Originally this barrow had an earth and stone mound shown on a map in 1928 to measure approximately 17m in diameter. This barrow has also been reduced by ploughing and is now visible as an elongated mound 0.5m high and measuring 17m by 10m on a north west to south east axis. Remains of the full extent of the original barrow around this presently visible mound are included in the scheduling. The group of barrows lie within, and adjacent to, the site of a network of dykes and enclosures, which are depicted on old maps. They have been levelled by ploughing and their date, function, nature of survival and relationship with the barrows is currently unknown.

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:

35465

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of Durham and N' land., (1994), 1-22
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of Durham and N' land., (1994), 1-22
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of North East Yorkshire, (1961), 1-22

End of official list entry

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