Details

The monument includes a round barrow which is situated in a prominent
position at the top of the steep scarp slope on the northern edge of the
Tabular Hills. The barrow has an earthen mound which measures up to 18m in
diameter and stands 1.6m high. Partial excavation in the past has left a
hollow in the centre of the mound. A modern footpath crosses the mound in
an east-west direction and has been eroded into a shallow depression. A
modern field boundary fence skirts the southern side of the monument and
is not included within the scheduling.

The barrow lies at the edge of an area which has a concentration of
prehistoric monuments dating from the Neolithic period to the Iron Age,
including further burial monuments and the remains of prehistoric land
division.

The modern field boundary fence which skirts the southern side of the
monument is not included in the scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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.

Despite limited disturbance, the round barrow in Raincliffe Woods, 420m
north of Osborne Lodge, has survived well. Significant information about
the original form of the barrow and the burials placed within it will be
preserved. Evidence for earlier land use and the contemporary environment
will also survive beneath the barrow mound. The barrow is situated in an
area where there are other burial monuments as well as the remains of
prehistoric land division. The association with similar monuments offers
important scope for the study of the distribution of prehistoric activity
across the landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, , Vol. 87, (1993)

Source: Historic England