Details

The monument includes a round barrow which is situated on Middle Jurassic
sandstone at the eastern edge of the North York Moors, on a gentle
south-facing slope.
The barrow has a well-defined earth and stone mound which now stands up to
1.3m high and measures 19m in diameter. Formerly, the mound was 21m in
diameter, but it has been reduced in size by forestry ploughing at the edges.
The northern edge of the mound has also been truncated by a forestry drainage
ditch. However, the full extent of the original barrow mound is included as
buried remains may survive beneath the forestry ploughing. Partial excavation
in the past has left a hollow in the centre of the mound. The barrow lies in
an area where there are many other prehistoric monuments, including further
barrows as well as 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, the round barrow in Harwood Dale Forest, known as
Penny Howe has survived well. 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's association with similar monuments nearby
provides insight into the distribution of ritual and funerary activity across
the landscape during the prehistoric period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
7864,
Title: Forestry Commission Areas North York Moors Archaeological Survey
Source Date: 1992
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
Site 5.1

Source: Historic England