Details

The monument includes Barron's Pike bowl barrow. It is located on the western
end of a plateau above and close to the edge of the rocky outcrop known as
Barron's Pike, from where there are extensive views particularly to the north,
west and south. It includes a circular mound of earth and stones measuring
approximately 19m in diameter and up to 1m high which is surrounded by a ditch
varying between 2.5m - 5.5m wide by 0.6m deep. A narrow causeway crosses the
ditch on the south west side. The whole monument measures 26.5m in diameter.

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 some past stone robbing to construct a nearby drystone wall, Barron's
Pike bowl barrow survives reasonably well. It is a rare example of a ditched
bowl barrow in Cumbria and will contain undisturbed archaeological deposits
within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath. The cairn lies close to
other prehistoric monuments on the fells around Bewcastle and thus indicates
the importance of this area in prehistoric times and the diversity of monument
classes to be found here.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hodgson, K S, 'Trans Cumb and West Antiq and Arch Soc. New Ser.' in Some Notes on Prehistoric Remains in the Border District, , Vol. XLIII, (1943), 170-2
Other
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)
FMW Report, Crow, J, Barron's Pike, round barrow, (1988)
SMR No. 104, Cumbria SMR, Barrons Pike Round Barrow, (1980)

Source: Historic England