Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated in a prominent position on the
eastern edge of Murton Common plateau overlooking Sledhill Gill. The barrow
has a well defined, flat-topped earth and stone mound standing 1.2m high. The
mound is round in shape and 16m in diameter, although slightly distorted by
ploughing on the east side. The centre of the mound has been dug into in the
past and two vertical stones, all that remain of the cist, are partly exposed
at the bottom of the hole. This mound was surrounded by a ditch up to 3m wide
which has become filled in over the years and is no longer visible as an
earthwork. It is one of many similar barrows in 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 the
division of land, some of which remain as 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 this barrow has survived well. Significant
information about original form, burials placed within it and evidence of
earlier land use beneath the mound will be preserved.
Together with adjacent barrows it is thought to mark a prehistoric boundary in
this area. Similar groupings of barrows are also known across the north and
central areas of the North York Moors providing an important insight into
burial practice. Such groupings of monuments also 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. BAR104, (1993)

Source: Historic England