Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated in a prominent position in
undulating ground overlooking the sea to the east. It is one of a group of
similar monuments lying between the sea and the predominantly heather covered
moorland to the east. The area has been enclosed and brought into agricultural
use, however, it is known that the prehistoric period saw intensive use of the
land for agricultural and ritual purposes. Some remains of these activities
survive today.
The barrow has an earth and stone mound measuring 15m in diameter and 0.4m
high. 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 mound was originally higher
but has been reduced over the years by agricultural activity.

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 reduced by agricultural activity the round barrow 370m south east of
Rudda Cottages has survived well and significant information about the
original construction of the barrow, the burials placed beneath it and its
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), 1-23

Source: Historic England