Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow located 150m south-east of Cliff Top
on the crest of a prominent ridge. It survives as a slightly mutilated oval
mound of earth and stone up to 1.4m high with maximum dimensions of 18m by
16m. There is a central pit measuring some 4m by 3m and up to 0.5m deep. A
boundary bank 0.3m high crosses the north-east half of the barrow altering the
profile slightly. Limited antiquarian investigation at the monument's centre
located a rock-cut grave containing a partly disturbed inhumation. A
cremation, Romano-British pottery, a piece of iron and a flint were found
above the rock-cut grave.

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 slight mutilation of the monument's profile and limited antiquarian
investigation at the mound's centre the bowl barrow 150m south-east of Cliff
Top survives well. This investigation located human remains and artifacts and
further evidence of interments and grave goods will exist within the mound
and upon the old landsurface. Additionally the monument is a rare example in
Staffordshire of a bowl barrow displaying re-use during Roman times.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Bateman, , Ten Years Digging (1861), (1861), 151
Other
Carrington, Barrow Diggers (Unpub MS with letters and notes), 1848,
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)

Source: Historic England