Monument record MDR2470 - Barrow (possible site of), Bone Low, Derwent
Type and Period (5)
- CAIRN (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- CREMATION (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- CREMATION (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
- CAIRN (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
- SHOOTING STAND (Early 20th Century to 21st Century - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
Bone Low, Barrow: (SK 17969076 and SK 17929073) Cairns (named on OS map) (1)
In a cairn known as Bone Low situated above Bamforth House (Bamford House - SK 17539121) on the edge of Darwen Moor workmen digging for stone in 1780 came across three or four badly fired urns containing human bones. The pots were small, covered by a piece of flat gritstone about 17 inches square and were broken by the workmen. A wood-cut of one of the urns suggested that they were Anglo-Saxon. Among the bones was a flat piece of copper 2 inches long, 1/4 inch wide and curved. On the eastern side of the cairn a trench contained human bones from a possible secondary burial. In 1955 it was noted that the cairn had been adapted as a shooting butt and that there were the remains of a modern internal wall. The dimensions of the cairn at that time were 24ft. in diameter and 2ft. in height. Baird confirmed that the cairn was used as a shooting butt and sited it at SK 1796690766. He also noted an adjoining cairn, maximum height of 0.7m., at SK 1792390734. Both cairns surveyed at 1:2500. (2-5, 9)
The extant mound at SK 1796 9076, equated previously with the site documented as being disturbed in 1780, is an unconvincing barrow, being only 7.5m x 5.5m in plan, 0.45m high and largely (and probably totally) comprising a ruined shooting butt. The other possible barrow, at SK17929073, is equally unconvincing and is probably a natural feature, or possibly associated with nearby quarrying. The barrow described in the 18th century must have been in the general vicinity (from SK 175 916 to SK 180 905), but is now lost or destroyed. The illustration of one of the pots is the only evidence for an Anglian date, but this can be questioned as it was drawn from incomplete sherds. The slab that covered the grave may well have been cupmarked and this suggests a prehistoric date (and a spurious reconstruction of the pot. (8)
A grouse butt possibly adapted in 1955 from a round burial cairn known as Bone, or Bole, Low. The cairn may have been destroyed by its conversion into a butt. The butt is situated on a mound which measures 7m in diameter and up to 0.4m high. This may be the base of the butt rather than the cairn. The cairn was opened in 1780 when three or four cremation urns were found. Bateman drew the urn sherds in a style which has been interpreted as early medieval in date. However, Bateman's drawings exercised some artistic licence and reference to the original 18th century drawings suggests that the cremations were later Neolithic to earlier Bronze Age. (10)
Sources/Archives (10)
- <1> SDR11929 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1980. 1:10 000.
- <2> SDR15425 Bibliographic reference: Transcript Hunter Index 1956 (F L Preston).
- <3> SDR16033 Bibliographic reference: VCH Derby 1 1970 265.
- <4> SDR6903 Bibliographic reference: Meaney, A. 1964. A Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites. p72-3.
- <5> SDR6356 Bibliographic reference: F1 JB 06-OCT-65.
- <6> SDR10000 Index: North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust (NDAT). North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust Index. 0757.
- <7> SDR8643 Bibliographic reference: Marsden, B. 1977. The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire. p29.
- <8> SDR2466 Unpublished document: Barnatt, J. 1989. The Peak District Barrow Survey (updated 1994). Site 28:15.
- <9> SDR16985 Bibliographic reference: Bateman, T. 1861. Ten Years' Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave Hills. p253-4.
- <10> SDR19499 Unpublished document: Bevan, B (PDNPA). 1994. Pike Low, Derwent, Derbyshire, archaeological survey, 1994. Feature 16, p 12.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 17 90 (18m by 16m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | DERWENT, HIGH PEAK, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (5)
- EDR479
- EDR569
- EDR571
- EDR3764
- EDR858
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Apr 16 2015 3:07PM