Scheduled Monument: MOAT LOW BOWL BARROW (1011008)

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 Moat Low bowl barrow has suffered disturbance from excavation it is a well preserved example containing further significant archaeological remains. DETAILS Moat Low bowl barrow, also known as Moot Low, is a sub-circular cairn with a hilltop location in the south-western ridges of the limestone palateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a mound measuring 29m by 25m and standing c.1m high. Partial excavation caried out by Thomas Bateman in 1845 revealed a rock-cut grave containing two skeletons, the easternmost accompanied by burnt bones and the westernmost by a bronze flat axe and the jaw of a pig. The axe indicates a Bronze Age date for the barrow. Excluded from the scheduling are the drystone walls that cross the edge of the monument, although the ground beneath them is included. SELECTED SOURCES Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, J. - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, J. - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey - Type: PLAN: MEASURED Book Reference - Author: Bateman, T. - Title: Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire - Date: 1848 - Page References: 68 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Marsden B - Title: The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire (1977) - Date: 1977 - Page References: 77 - Type: DESC TEXT Article Reference - Author: Fowler, M - Title: The Transition from the Late Neolithic...in the Peak District - Date: 1955 - Journal Title: Derbyshire Archaeological Journal - Type: DESC TEXT