Scheduled Monument: SHARP LOW BOWL BARROW (1009170)

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 Sharp Low bowl barrow has been disturbed by excavation, it is a well preserved example containing further significant archaeological remains. DETAILS Sharp Low bowl barrow is a sub-circular cairn in a hilltop location in the south-western ridges of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a well preserved mound measuring 18m by 14m and standing c.0.6m high. Partial excavation carried out by Thomas Bateman in 1848 revealed two crouched skeletons which indicate a Bronze Age date for the barrow. At the centre of the barrow was a stone underneath which lay a bull's horn and another bone. Close to the westernmost skeleton were found pot sherds and animal bones and also an iron knife bearing an impression of the fabric in which it had previously been wrapped. The knife indicates the re-use of the barrow in the Anglian period. Excluded from the scheduling are the walls crossing the edges 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: Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Marsden B - Title: The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire (1977) - Date: 1977 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Meaney, A. - Title: A Gazeteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites - Date: 1964 - Type: DESC TEXT