Ancient Monuments

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Four round barrows 780m north east of Littlewood Lodge

A Scheduled Monument in Walkington, East Riding of Yorkshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.8263 / 53°49'34"N

Longitude: -0.547 / 0°32'49"W

OS Eastings: 495736.249889

OS Northings: 437649.899262

OS Grid: SE957376

Mapcode National: GBR SSM6.C3

Mapcode Global: WHGF8.K3R0

Entry Name: Four round barrows 780m north east of Littlewood Lodge

Scheduled Date: 26 June 1967

Last Amended: 29 September 1993

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1007563

English Heritage Legacy ID: 21145

County: East Riding of Yorkshire

Civil Parish: Walkington

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): East Riding of Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Bishop Burton All Saints

Church of England Diocese: York

Details

The monument includes four round barrows on the Yorkshire Wolds, members of a
group in this area. The north-western barrow mound is 0.3m high and 36m in
diameter; the north-eastern barrow mound is 0.5m high and 34m in diameter. The
central barrow mound of the group is 0.25m high and 16m in diameter, whilst
the southernmost barrow mound is 0.3m high and 43m in diameter. This barrow is
truncated by a hedge and the adjacent road, and only that section of it lying
north of the hedge remains identifiable, the southern portion having been
levelled by roadworks. Although no longer visible at ground level, a ditch,
from which material was excavated during the construction of the monuments
surrounds each of the barrow mounds. These have become infilled over the years
but survive as buried features 4m wide. All four barrows were investigated by
the 19th century antiquarian Canon William Greenwell. No interments or
cremations were found in the two northern barrows, only flint scrapers and pot
sherds. A central grave containing a few burnt bones covered by a layer of
burnt earth was found in the central barrow. The southern barrow was found to
contain a central grave and cremation with an associated pygmy cup, beaker
sherds, and worked flint flakes.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Despite partial excavation and plough damage these barrows remain visible and
they will retain significant information on their original form and of the
burials placed within them. Information on the inter-relationship between
individual barrows within the monument will be preserved, as will information
on their relationship to adjacent barrows.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Greenwell, W, 'Archaeologia' in Archaeologia , , Vol. 52, (1890), 52
Greenwell, W, 'Archaeologia' in Archaeologia , , Vol. 52, (1890), 32
Greenwell, W, 'Archaeologia' in Archaeologia , , Vol. 52, (1890), 35
Other
Kinnes, IA and Longworth, IH, Catalogue of the excavated material in the Greenwell collection, Catalogue of Excavated Material in the Greenwell Collection, (1985)

Source: Historic England

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