Scheduled Monument: BLAKE LOW BOWL BARROW (1011856)

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 the centre of Blake Low bowl barrow has been disturbed and the surface of the cairn has been robbed of its stone, the rest of the barrow is still reasonably undisturbed and the barrow will contain further archaeologically significant remains. DETAILS Blake Low bowl barrow is situated on Longstone Edge on the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a sub-circular cairn measuring 15.5m by 11.5m by c.0.5m high. At some time in the past, probably in the early nineteenth century when the plantation around the barrow was planted, the surface of the barrow was robbed of its stone for wall building. Prior to this it would have stood somewhat higher and probably been more uniformly circular. A partial excavation carried out in 1848 by Thomas Bateman revealed a shallow rock-cut grave at the centre of the barrow which contained the contracted skeleton of an adolescent girl, the bones of a younger child, a beaker and an antler tine. Nearby was a stone cist that held the remains of six inhumations, a number of flint implements and an urn. These discoveries indicate a Bronze Age date for the barrow. Excluded from the scheduling are the telegraph pole and its stays at the centre 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 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, J - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989) - Date: 1989 - Type: PLAN: MEASURED Book Reference - Author: Bateman, Thomas - Title: Ten Years Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave-Hills (1861) - Date: 1861 - Page References: 40-41 - Type: DESC TEXT Book Reference - Author: Marsden B - Title: The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire (1977) - Date: 1977 - Page References: 39 - Type: DESC TEXT