Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated on level ground overlooking
Kirk Moor Beck to the south. It lies on 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 then being used for
burials and activities associated with the carving of patterns on exposed
rock. Remains of these activities survive today.
The barrow has an earth and stone mound standing 0.5m high. It measures 10m in
diameter. The mound was surrounded by a ditch up to 3m wide which has been
filled in and is no longer visible as an earthwork. The centre of the mound
has a slight hollow in the centre showing that it has been investigated in the
past.

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 round barrow 300m south east of Thorn Key Howes has survived well, and
significant information about the original form of the barrow and the burials
placed within it will be preserved. Evidence of earlier land use will also
survive beneath the barrow mound. The monument lies in an area rich in similar
monuments and offers important scope for the study of social and ritual
activities in the region during the prehistoric period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, M J B, Excavated Bronze Age Burial Mounds of Durham and N' land., (1994), 1-34

Source: Historic England