Details

Borther Low bowl barrow is situated on Gratton Moor in the central uplands of
the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a sub-circular
mound measuring 19m x 16m and standing c.1m high. During partial excavations
carried out by Thomas Bateman in 1843 and 1849, a primary burial was found at
the centre of the mound and a secondary burial on the south side. Both were
crouched inhumations and the latter was accompanied by a flat bronze axe, a
flint arrowhead and the remains of a pottery food vessel. Other flint
artefacts and pot sherds were found in addition to traces of a limestone
pavement. The remains indicate a Bronze Age date for the barrow.

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.

Although Borther Low bowl barrow has been partially disturbed by excavation,
it is still a reasonably well-preserved example in which significant
archaeological remains survive.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Bateman, T, Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire, (1849), 48
Bateman, T, Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills, (1861), 45
Marsden, B M, The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire , (1977), 38

Source: Historic England