Details

The monument includes a group of four round barrows and the area between
the barrows in which unmarked burials and other archaeological remains may
survive. The monument is situated on the eastern edge of 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.

The northern barrow has an earth and stone mound standing 0.5m high and
measuring 22m in diameter. The centre of the mound has been partially
excavated in the past. Lying 40m to the south west of this mound is a pair
of small barrows each with a mound 6m in diameter and standing up to 0.4m
high. This pair of mounds are 6m apart. Lying 55m to the east of the pair
of barrows is a further barrow with a mound 10m in diameter and 0.6m in
height. Each of the barrow mounds is surrounded by a ditch up to 3m wide,
which has subsequently been filled in, and is no longer visible.

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 four round barrows 520m west of Brickyard Cottage have survived well
and significant information about the original form of the barrows and the
burials placed within them 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 North East Yorkshire, (1997), 1-138
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of North East Yorkshire, (1997), 1-38

Source: Historic England