Details

The monument includes a round barrow situated on sloping ground to the south
of Levisham Moor on the southern edge of the sandstone, predominantly heather
covered land characteristic of the North York Moors. The monument lies in the
southern part of a block of land defined by the deep valleys of Newton Dale to
the west, Horcum Slack to the east, Havern Beck to the north and Levisham Beck
to the south. The southern part of the block of land has been enclosed and
brought into agricultural use however archaeological evidence indicates that
the prehistoric period saw intensive use of the land for agricultural,
industrial and ritual purposes. Remains of these activities survive today as
both earthworks and features visible on aerial photographs.
The barrow has an earth and stone mound standing 1.5m high and measuring 20m
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 mound was investigated
in the late 19th century by Kendall and Mitchelson and there is a local tale
of skeletons found at a nearby cairn being interred here in the 20th century.
These activities have resulted in a number of hollows in the top of the mound.

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 400m north of Levisham Hall has survived 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), 1-23

Source: Historic England