Details

The monument includes two round barrows, one lying north of the other,
situated in a prominent position on the northern edge of the Hambleton Hills.
The northern barrow has a well defined earth and stone mound standing 0.7m
high. It is round in shape and is 15m in diameter. The centre of the mound has
been dug into in the past. Three large stones are exposed on the northern side
of the mound.
The southern barrow has a large well defined mound standing 0.75m high. It is
round in shape and is 12.5m in diameter. A number of large kerb stones
surrounding the mound are visible. One of these, the Three Lords' Stone, has a
number of cup marks, of prehistoric date, incised upon it. An old excavation
has left a hollow from the southern flank to the centre. Both these mounds
were each encircled by a ditch up to 3m wide which has become filled-in over
the years and is no longer visible as an earthwork.
This monument is one of many similar examples on this area of the Hambleton
Hills. Many of these lie in closely associated groups, particularly along the
watersheds. They provide evidence of territorial organisation marking
divisions of land, divisions which still remain as some parish or township
boundaries.

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 limited disturbance both these barrows have survived well.
Significant information about the original form, burials placed within them
and evidence of earlier land use beneath the mounds will be preserved. The
inclusion of a cup-marked stone is unusual for this area; the significance of
these markings is not yet fully understood. The monument is part of a group of
barrows clustered on this part of the Hambleton Hills thought to mark a
prehistoric boundary. Similar groups of monuments are also known across the
northern and central areas of the North York Moors providing important insight
into burial practice. Such groupings of monuments offer important scope for
the study of the division of land for social, ritual and agricultural purposes
in different geographical areas during the prehistoric period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, , Vol. BAR 104, (1993)

Source: Historic England