Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated in a prominant position on the
southern slopes of the North York Moors overlooking the Vale of Pickering. It
is known from archaeological evidence that the southern flanks of the moors
were extensively used in the prehistoric period for agricultural and ritual
purposes. Remains of these activities survive today.
The barrow has an earth and stone mound standing 1m high which originally
measured 20m in diameter. The mound was surrounded by a ditch up to 3m wide
which has been filled in on the eastern side and is no longer visible as an
earthwork. The western part of the mound has been truncated by a cutting for
the adjacent road surface which is at least 3m below the top of the mound.
Although constructed primarily for burials, it is believed that certain
barrows also served as boundary markers. The use of the barrow as a marker
continues today as the parish boundary passes through the monument.

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.

Although partly truncated Rawcliffe Howe round barrow has survived reasonably
well. Significant information about the original form of the barrow, the
burials placed within it and the relationship with other monuments in the area
will be preserved. Evidence of earlier land use will also survive beneath the
barrow mound.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of Durham and N' land., (1994), 331
Whellan, J J, History and Topography of the North Riding of Yorkshire, (1859), 225

Source: Historic England