Details

The monument includes two round barrows which are situated in a prominent
position on the central plateau of the Tabular Hills. They are located in
Dalby Forest, at the top of the north west facing slope into Stain Dale.
The eastern barrow has an earthen mound which measures 16m in diameter and
stands up to 1.1m high. The centre of the mound has an irregular surface
depression caused by animal burrowing. The western barrow lies 45m to the
south west. It has an earthen mound which measures 20m in diameter and stands
up to 1.5m high.
The barrows lie in an area which has many other prehistoric monuments,
including further burials and the remains of prehistoric land division.

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 two round barrows on Newclose Rigg, 810m north east of High Rigg Farm are
in a good state of preservation. They are among only a few barrows identified
in the Dalby Forest area which do not appear to have been excavated in the
past and will therefore, have undisturbed archaeological deposits in the
centre relating to the primary burials, which are less likely to survive in
the part-excavated barrows. Important evidence for earlier land use and the
contemporary environment will also survive beneath the barrow mounds.
The barrows belong to a group of five burial monuments which extend along
Newclose Rigg and lie in an area where there are many similar groups. Such
clusters, and their associations with similar monument groups, provide
important insight into the development and distribution of ritual and
funerary practice during the Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Northern Archaeological Associates, , North York Moors Forest Survey Phase Two, (1996)
Northern Archaeological Associates, , North York Moors Forest Survey Phase Two, (1996)

Source: Historic England