Details

The monument includes a round barrow which is situated on Middle Jurassic
sandstone on the North York Moors. It occupies a prominent position on a
very gentle east-facing slope.

The barrow has a sub-circular mound constructed from earth and stone,
which stands up to 0.8m high. The mound has a flat top and measures up to
10m in diameter.

A second barrow 90m to the east, is the subject of a seperate scheduling.

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 on Wheeldale Moor, 1250m west of Wheeldale Lodge is in a
good state of preservation. Unlike most of the barrows in this area, it
does not appear to have been excavated in the past and it 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. Evidence for earlier land use and the contemporary environment
will also survive beneath the barrow mound.

The barrow is one of a pair which lie in an area where there are many
other prehistoric burial monuments. The association with similar monuments
provides insight into the distribution of ritual and funerary activity
across the landscape during the prehistoric period.

Source: Historic England