Scheduled Monument: MEADOW PLACE BOWL BARROW (1008000)

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 Meadow Place bowl barrow has been disturbed by excavation and earlier agricultural practice, it nonetheless survives well and retains further significant archaeological remains. DETAILS It is a roughly circular barrow situated west of Lathkill Dale on the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a mound measuring 16m by 15m and standing c.0.75m high. Originally it would have been somewhat higher, but its profile has been altered by past ploughing. A partial excavation carried out by Thomas Bateman in 1848 revealed the disturbed remains of two human burials, of which one may have been a cremation, a bone point and a number of flint artefacts. These remains indicate a Bronze Age date for the barrow. SELECTED SOURCES Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, John - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey - Date: 1989 - Type: DESC TEXT - Description: Site 8;14 Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, John - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey - Date: 1989 - Type: PLAN: MEASURED - Description: Site 8;14 Book Reference - Author: Bateman, Thomas - Title: Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills - Date: 1861 - Page References: 44 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Marsden B - Title: The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire (1977) - Date: 1977 - Page References: 82 - Type: DESC TEXT