Details

The monument includes two adjacent round barrows and the area between them in
which unmarked burials and other archaeological remains may survive.
The monument is located in a prominent position on Howdale Moor. This is the
easternmost extent of the sandstone, heather covered moor characteristic of
the North York Moors. Today the moor is little used but archaeological
evidence indicates that this has not always been the case. The
prehistoric period in particular saw extensive agricultural use of the area.
It was also used for burials and activities associated with the
carving of patterns on exposed rock. Remains of these activities survive
today.
Each barrow has an earth and stone mound standing 10m apart. The northern
mound is 1.5m high and measures 20m in diameter. The centre of the mound has
been partly excavated revealing a small stone chamber known as a cist in which
a burial would have been placed. The southern mound measures 15m in diameter
and is 0.75m high. Each mound was surrounded by a ditch up to 3m wide which
has been filled in and is no longer visible as an earthwork.
The barrows form part of a group known as Stony Marl Howes.

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.

The two round barrows 1300m east of Cook House have survived well. Significant
information about the original form of the barrows, the burials placed within
them and their relationship with other monuments in the area will be
preserved. Evidence of earlier land use will also survive beneath the barrow
mounds.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of Durham and N' land., (1994), 1-38

Source: Historic England