Round barrow on Goathland Moor, 240m west of Collinson Bield

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1021294
Date first listed:: 15-Apr-2004

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1021294
Date first listed:: 15-Apr-2004

Location

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

District:: North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Goathland
National Park:: NORTH YORK MOORS
National Grid Reference:: SE 83562 99700

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.

Despite limited disturbance, the round barrow on Goathland Moor, 240m west of Collinson Bield has survived well. Significant information about the original form of the barrow and the burials placed within it will be preserved. Evidence for earlier land use and the contemporary environment will also survive beneath the mound.

The barrow is one of a pair which lie close to a number of other prehistoric monuments. Clusters such as this provide important insight into the development of ritual and funerary practice during the Bronze Age. The association with other monuments within the area contributes to our understanding of prehistoric landscape exploitation.

Details

The monument includes a round barrow which occupies a prominent position on top of a natural rise overlooking Moss Dike. It lies on Middle Jurassic sandstone on the North York Moors.

The barrow has a sub-circular mound constructed from earth and stone, which measures up to 15m in diameter and stands 0.8m-1.2m high. The mound was originally surrounded by a kerb of boulders, but over the years this has become partly buried by soil and vegetation and now only five stones are visible around the edges. Partial excavation in the past has left a hollow in the centre of the mound and this is now water-filled.

The barrow is one of a pair which lie in an area surrounded by many other prehistoric monuments, particularly burials, which are often located in prominent and highly visible locations in the landscape.

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:: 35916
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, (1993)
Other
Craster, O E, AM7 (NY 945), (1968)

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.