Details

The monument includes a round barrow which occupies a prominent position on a
north east facing slope at the eastern edge of the North York Moors. It is
situated on sandstone and overlooks the lower-lying boulder clay covered
coastal belt.
The barrow has an earth and stone mound which stands up to 2.5m high and
measures up to 36m in diameter. In the centre of the mound there is a hollow
caused by partial excavation in the past. The mound was originally surrounded
by a ditch up to 3m wide, but this has become filled in over the years by soil
slipping from the mound so that it is no longer visible as an earthwork,
although a slight depression can be seen around the south western edge.
The barrow lies in an area where there are many other prehistoric monuments,
including ritual and funerary monuments 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 known as Hunter Howe 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 and within the buried ditch. The association with similar monuments in
the area provides insight into the distribution of ritual and funerary
activity across the landscape during the prehistoric period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Harding, J, 'Neolithic Studies in No Man's Land' in Reconsidering the Neolithic round barrows of eastern Yorkshire, (1996), 67-77
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, , Vol. 87, (1993)
Other
Title: 2nd Edition 25" Ordnance Survey sheet 62/6
Source Date: 1928
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England