Details

The monument includes two bowl barrows situated on the north edge of the North
York Moors.
The barrows lie close together, one being 30m to the north of the other. Both
of the barrows have an earth and stone mound and each was originally
surrounded by a kerb of stones which defined the barrow and supported the
mound. However over the years some of the stones have been removed or buried
by soil slipping off the mounds. The south barrow mound is low and flat
topped, stands 0.3m high and is 10m in diameter. There are no kerb stones
visible around this mound. There is a hollow dug into the centre of the mound
resulting from investigations in the past.
The north barrow mound has a flat top, is 16m in diameter and stands 1.4m
high. There are kerb stones visible on the north and west sides up to 1m in
length. The mound was partly excavated in 1863 by J C Atkinson who discovered
an urn containing a cremation burial.
The barrows lie in area rich in prehistoric monuments including further
barrows, field systems and clearance cairns.

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 these barrows have survived well. Significant
information about the original form of the barrows and the burials placed
within them will be preserved. Evidence of earlier land use will also survive
beneath the barrow mounds.
Together with other barrows in the area they are thought to also represent a
territorial marker. Similar groups of monuments are known across the west 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 and ritual purposes in different geographical
areas during the prehistoric period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Elgee, F, Early Man in NE Yorkshire, (1930), 148
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, , Vol. BAR 104, (1993), 91-116

Source: Historic England