Scheduled Monument: MOOT LOW BOWL BARROW (1009015)

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 stone-robbing, Moot Low bowl barrow is a reasonably well preserved example retaining significant archaeological remains. DETAILS Moot Low bowl barrow is a sub-circular cairn situated in the south-eastern uplands of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a mound measuring 20m by 23m by c.1.5m high which has been somewhat disturbed in the past, either by wall-builders robbing it for its stone or by miners from nearby surface workings who may have mistaken the barrow for a spoil heap left after earlier lead exploration. In 1844, Thomas Bateman carried out a partial excavation of the barrow and recovered a crouched skeleton and the remains of a cremation with a burnt bronze razor in a collared urn. Both burials indicate a Bronze Age date for the barrow. Excluded from the scheduling is the field wall crossing the north-western edge of the monument but the ground underneath is included. SELECTED SOURCES Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, J - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989) - Date: 1989 Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, J - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989) - Date: 1989 Book Reference - Author: Bateman, T. - Title: Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire - Date: 1848 - Page References: 51-52 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Marsden, BM - Title: The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire (1977) - Date: 1977 - Page References: 25 - Type: DESC TEXT