Monument record MDR1539 - Round Barrow, Cross Flats, Middleton and Smerrill
Type and Period (2)
- BARROW (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
- INHUMATION (Roman to Saxon - 43 AD? to 1065 AD?)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
SK c.192 637. Cross Flats, ?Anglian Round Barrow. A small barrow was discovered in December 1827 when a plantation was being created. The skeleton of a young person was revealed, placed in a "natural cist" (fissure?) 2 inches [0.6 metres] deep, with the head to the east. The burial was accompanied by an iron knife and a "roughly chipped flint" (possibly residual). In the following year (1828), a second iron knife and a fragment of stone axe were found within a few yards of the barrow (possibly from the 1827 upcast). (1,2,9).
The site was further explored by Thomas Bateman on the 10th February 1848, "in turning over the earth" (disturbed contexts?), he discovered some Prehistoric material in addition to undated fragments of red pottery (Romano-British ?). While the inhumation may be Romano-British or Anglo-Saxon, the prehistoric material allows for an earlier dating for the mound, or alternatively, they may be residual. (3,7,9).
Tumulus (site of). (4). Listed as a minor Anglian site. (5). Site only; there are no remains. (6).
The exact site of this barrow is uncertain. Two small plantations (and a shelter bed with mining throughout) are marked on the Ordnance Survey 1st edition 1838 1" map (SK 1895 6340, SK 1925 6370), both subsequently enlarged after Bateman's day. The southern most is named Cross Flats Plantation, the other Butcher's Wood (now also known as Cross Flats Plantation). Superficially this would suggest a site in the southern wood. However, this is immediately adjacent to barrow SMR 10131, and if SMR 10121 was located here it is likely Bateman would have noted the association. It is probable that the whole area was known as Cross Flats and the site was in Butchers Wood (there is no recognizable barrow here). The south-west side of the wood is heavily mined- the northern corner has a quarry and a low natural knoll which is the most likely site. (9).
The excavation by T. Bateman on the 10th February 1848 of a barrow found in 1827, yielded no further possible Anglian material, but part of a stags horn, a polished stone axe of Group XX, saddle quern fragments, flints and potsherds. A late Neolithic to early Bronze Age date is suggested. (1,3,7-9). It is unknown whether the material derived from a prehistoric barrow with a later insertion, or from material scraped up to form the mound. (9).
Sources/Archives (9)
- <1> SDR16985 Bibliographic reference: Bateman, T. 1861. Ten Years' Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave Hills. p22.
- <2> SDR13720 Bibliographic reference: Bateman, T. n.d.. A Description of Tumuli etc. Opened Principally at Middelton by Youlgreave in the county of Derby from 1821 to 1832, by William Bateman Esq FAS. - in T. Bateman, Collectania Antiqua, section 15.
- <3> SDR13770 Unpublished document: Bateman, T. Descriptions of, and Observations on, Further Discoveries in the Barrows of Derbyshire.
- <4> SDR11764 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1955. 6".
- <5> SDR12503 Article in serial: Ozanne, A. 1962-3. 'The Peak Dwellers', Medieval Archaeology. Volume 6-7. p42.
- <6> SDR6372 Personal Observation: F1 JB 17-FEB-66.
- <7> SDR8643 Bibliographic reference: Marsden, B. 1977. The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire. p75.
- <8> SDR10540 Index: NDAT. 1505. 1505.
- <9> SDR2466 Unpublished document: Barnatt, J. 1989. The Peak District Barrow Survey (updated 1994). Site 8:33.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 192 637 (56m by 49m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | MIDDLETON AND SMERRILL, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (3)
- EDR44
- EDR98
- EDR1166
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Sep 27 2017 3:56PM