Scheduled Monument: VINCENT KNOLL BOWL BARROW (1011010)

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. Despite partial disturbance caused by excavation and stone-robbing, Vincent Knoll bowl barrow is still a well preserved example, containing further significant archaeological remains. DETAILS Vincent Knoll bowl barrow is a roughly circular cairn situated on a partially quarried promontory overlooking Long Dale in the western upland ridges of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a mound measuring 9.5m by 8.5m and surviving to a height of c.0.8m. The central part of the cairn was disturbed in the early 19th century, probably for wall stone, but the outer portion is intact. Partial excavation by Thomas Bateman in 1849 led to the discovery of a rock-cut grave containing three crouched skeletons which indicate a Bronze Age date for the barrow. A fourth skeleton, associated with an iron spear head, indicates its re-use in the Anglian period. The drystone wall crossing the south-eastern edge of the barrow is excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath it 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, Thomas - Title: Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills (1861) - Date: 1861 - Page References: 49-50 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Marsden B - Title: The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire (1977) - Date: 1977 - Page References: 45 - Type: DESC TEXT