Ancient Monuments

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Round barrow on Hasting Hill, 230m west of Hasting Hill Farm

A Scheduled Monument in Sandhill, Sunderland

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.8835 / 54°53'0"N

Longitude: -1.4518 / 1°27'6"W

OS Eastings: 435265.526255

OS Northings: 554447.702648

OS Grid: NZ352544

Mapcode National: GBR V17.PR

Mapcode Global: WHD5B.NJV1

Entry Name: Round barrow on Hasting Hill, 230m west of Hasting Hill Farm

Scheduled Date: 6 October 1978

Last Amended: 2 December 1998

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1018639

English Heritage Legacy ID: 32044

County: Sunderland

Electoral Ward/Division: Sandhill

Traditional County: Durham

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Tyne and Wear

Church of England Parish: Sunderland St Thomas and Saint Oswald

Church of England Diocese: Durham

Details

The monument includes the round barrow on Hasting Hill, 230m west of Hasting
Hill Farm. It occupies the highest point on the hill at its western end above
a magnesian limestone quarry.
The barrow is of earth and stone construction. It stands to a height of 1m and
has an Ordnance Survey triangulation point inserted into the top around which
some erosion has occurred. The barrow is circular with a diameter of c.12m. It
is believed to have no surrounding bank and ditch.
The barrow was excavated by Trechmann in 1911; 10 burials were found interred
in the barrow along with pottery of Neolithic and Bronze Age date, and bone
and flint tools.
The barrow lies about 400m north west of a group of crop marks identified as
an interrupted ditch enclosure and cursus, which is believed to be of
Neolithic date.

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.

The round barrow on Hasting Hill is an example of a barrow in a prominent
position. Although disturbed by excvavation in 1911 and by the insertion of a
triangulation point, the barrow which has already provided evidence of a large
number of burials and evidence of Neolithic activity, and will contain further
archaeological evidence for dating and the environment in which it was
constructed.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Manby, T G, 'Archaeologia Aeliana' in Neolithic Pottery From Hasting Hill, Co. Durham, , Vol. 5, I, (1973), 219-222
Trechmann, C T, 'Archaeologia Aeliana' in Prehistoric burials in the county of Durham, , Vol. 3, XI, (1914), 135-156
Young, R, 'Trans Architect and Archaeol Soc of Durham and Northumberland' in An Inventory of Barrows in County Durham, , Vol. 5, (1980), 10

Source: Historic England

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