Scheduled Monument: BOSTERN GRANGE BOWL BARROW (1009443)

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 partially disturbed by excavation and slightly reduced by ploughing, Bostern Grange bowl barrow is a well preserved example containing further significant archaeological remains. DETAILS The bowl barrow at Bostern Grange is a roughly circular cairn with a hilltop location in the south-western ridges of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a mound measuring 23.5m by 19.0m, the breadth having been reduced slightly in the past by ploughing. It stands at an approximate height of 1m. A Bronze Age date was assigned to the barrow after a partial excavation, carried out by Thomas Bateman in 1845, revealed a very large central cist containing a crouched skeleton and a smaller cist which contained the remains of a cremation. Two further skeletons were found higher in the cist, above the crouched inhumation and the cremation. These would have been secondary burials and indicate an extended period of use for the barrow. 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 - Title: Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Marsden B - Title: The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire (1977) - Date: 1977 - Type: DESC TEXT