Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated in a prominent position at the
top of the northern scarp edge of the Hackness Hills.
The barrow has an earth and stone mound which stands up to 0.8m high and
measures up to 8m in diameter. The centre of the mound has been hollowed out
by partial excavation in the past and there is an old excavation trench which
extends to the south from the centre. The southern edge of the mound has been
partly levelled during the construction of the surfaced trackway which runs
past the barrow. Abutting each side of the mound to the east and west, and
post-dating it, there are boundary banks which run parallel to the track.
The barrow was originally one of five distributed along the top of the scarp
slope and lies in an area where there are many other prehistoric burial
monuments.
The surface of the gravel track which runs east to west past the south side of
the barrow is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath the
track is included.

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 on Reasty Hill Top, 550m WSW of
Breckenhurst 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.
This barrow is one of five which were originally distributed along the top of
northern scarp edge of the Hackness Hills. Such clusters provide important
insight into the development of ritual and funerary practice during the Bronze
Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Title: Forestry Commission Areas North York Moors Archaeological Survey
Source Date: 1992
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
Site 3.7

Source: Historic England