Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated at the top of a gentle
south-facing slope towards the northern edge of Langdale Forest.
The barrow has a well defined earth and stone mound which stands up to 1m high
and measures 11m in diameter. In the centre of the mound there is a hollow
caused by partial excavation in the past. The line of a former boundary wall
crosses the top of the mound in an east to west direction and can be seen as a
shallow trench.
The barrow lies in an area rich in prehistoric monuments including further
round 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

Round barrows 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 mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered
single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as
cemeteries and often acted as a focus of 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 examples recorded nationally (many more have already
been destroyed), occurring across most of Britain, including the Wessex area
where it is often possible to classify them more closely, for example as bowl
or bell barrows. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major
historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation in
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, Brecken Howe round barrow has survived well.
Significant information about the original form of the barrow and the burials
placed within it will be preserved. Evidence for earlier land use and the
contemporary environment will also survive beneath the barrow mound.
The barrow is situated within an area which includes other burial monuments as
well as field systems and clearance cairns. Associated groups of monuments
such as these offer important scope for the study of the distribution of
prehistoric activity across the landscape.

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. 87, (1993)

Source: Historic England