Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated on a level ridge between Hard
Dale Gill and the Derwent valley, towards the western edge of Broxa Forest.
The barrow has an earth and stone mound which stands up to 1.1m high and
measures 12m in diameter. Formerly the mound had a maximum diameter of 14m but
it has been reduced in size by forestry ploughing at the edges. In the centre
of the mound there is a hollow caused by partial excavation in 1949. This
investigation uncovered the remains of a cremation and showed the barrow to
have been constructed as a mound of stone covered by a dome of clay.
The barrow is one of a group of four and lies in an area rich in prehistoric
burial monuments. The other barrows in the group are the subject of separate
schedulings.

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, the round barrow in Broxa Forest 800m south west
of Highdales 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 one of a group of four burial monuments and such clusters
provide important insight into the development of ritual and funerary practice
during the Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of Durham and N' land., (1994), 150
Other
Title: Archaeological Survey Forestry Commission Areas North York Moors
Source Date: 1992
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England