Details

Ringham Low bowl barrow is a sub-circular barrow situated in the central
uplands of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a mound
measuring 16m by 14.5m and standing c.0.5m high. Ploughing has spread the
barrow material and, originally, the mound would have been somewhat higher and
more uniformly circular. Partial excavations were carried out by William
Bateman in 1821 and by Thomas Bateman in 1843 and 1850 when traces of fire and
the remains of three Romano-British urns were found in addition to numerous
flints. The latter, together with the appearance of the barrow and its
proximity to others datable to the Bronze Age, suggest that it too originated
in this period. However, the urns indicate that it was re-used in the Roman
period and may have been the site of an in-situ cremation. In this respect,
and others, it is similar to nearby Friden Hollow bowl 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 Ringham Low bowl barrow has been disturbed by ploughing and
excavation, it is an unusual example which, in addition to rare evidence of an
in-situ cremation, retains further significant archaeological remains which
will provide evidence of whether the barrow is prehistoric or Romano-British
in origin.

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), 50
Bateman, T, Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills, (1861), 64
Marsden, B M, The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire , (1977), 73

Source: Historic England