Scheduled Monument: PUTWELL HILL BOWL BARROW (1008816)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, 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 or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for 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 bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of 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 Putwell Hill bowl barrow has been disturbed by stone-robbing and its centre by partial excavation, it is still a reasonably well-preserved example containing significant areas of intact archaeological remains. DETAILS Putwell Hill lies north of Monsal Dale and is part of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a sub-circular cairn measuring 17m by 13m and standing c.1m high. Originally the barrow would have been more uniformly round but it has been somewhat depleted by stone-robbing for the construction of the three drystone walls that converge on it. This activity probably occurred in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth centuries and has disturbed the archaeological remains that lie at the centre of the barrow. In 1850, Thomas Bateman carried out a partial excavation of the site and found evidence of both cremation and inhumation burials. These remains were not in association with any datable artefacts but the appearance of the barrow and its proximity to others of the period indicate a Bronze Age date. The walls crossing the monument are excluded from the scheduling though the ground underneath is included. SELECTED SOURCES Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, J - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989) - Date: 1989 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, J - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989) - Date: 1989 - Type: PLAN: MEASURED Book Reference - Author: Bateman, Thomas - Title: Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills (1861) - Date: 1861 - Page References: 70 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Marsden B - Title: The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire (1977) - Date: 1977 - Type: DESC TEXT