Monument record MDR2799 - Stoney Low chambered round barrow, Brassington Moor, Aldwark
Type and Period (3)
- CHAMBERED ROUND BARROW (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
- INHUMATION (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
- CIST (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
On Brassington Moor, two miles south of the village of Elton, there was, until approx 1800 a tumulus of earth and stone called Stoney Lowe or Stanhope Lowe. It was 360 feet in circumference, and in the centre was a cist, covered by a stone six feet in length. On the east side of the tumulus was a circle of stones, some two feet high and thirty-nine feet across. Sixteen feet from this was a small circle twenty-two feet in diameter. The barrow and its circles (SMR 3486) were removed to supply materials for walls and for the road which now passes within fifty yards of the spot. Skeletons and urn were found. (1)
Two cists on the site were excavated by Bateman on 8th August, 1843 when a large quantity of bones, a small piece of urn and a Calcined arrowhead were found. Stoney Low (SK 218578) is ¾ mile north-east of Minninglow in a grass field east of the Elton-Longcliffe road and has been almost levelled. The remaining margins of the mound show it to have been round with a diameter of 108 feet. The centre is now cratered; one large stone shows above the turf and several small ones are scattered about and the circle is no more than one foot high. The large size of the mound and the "cists" found by Bateman suggest that this site may have been a chambered tomb. (2)
Remains of the barrow at SK 21855784 were surveyed at 1/2500 in 1966. There is no surface evidence of the stone circles. (3)
Additional references. (4-6)
Stoney Low is located on the crest of a low east to west running ridge with good visibility in each direction aside from the west towards Minninglow. This site has been described as destroyed, but it rather has mutilated remains which comprise of the barrow rim, a low spread of the barrow's material and at least two ruined chambers or cists. Rooke gives an account of barrow in the 18th century. Bateman notes that the barrow was destroyed in the late 18th or early 19th century by workman acquiring the stone for road mending. During this destruction, a large cist was found and within it were three inhumations and in another part of the mound, they found an 'urn'. Bateman excavated the mound on the 8th August 1843 and uncovered a 'vault' with 161 teeth (6+ individuals of all ages), human bones, an 'urn' sherd and animal bones. Another 'vault' held two inhumations and one possibly burnt leaf shaped arrowhead. (8)
The Radford artefact collection demonstrates that there was an active landscape in the Brassington area during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages, similar to those at Aleck Low and Kenslow-Mount Pleasant. Further work based on the specific findspots could lead to more discoveries and information as to the character of the distribution pattern and periods of occupation. Most of the findspots were recorded with a generalised grid-reference and cannot be more accurately located. At Stoney Low, the Radford Collection held one barbed and tangled arrowhead and one transverse arrowhead. (9)
Sources/Archives (9)
- <1> SDR2903 Bibliographic reference: Bateman, T. 1848. Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire. p46, 113.
- <2> SDR7886 Article in serial: Manby, T. 1958. 'Chambered tombs of Derbyshire', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 78, pp 25-39. p34.
- <3> SDR6130 Personal Observation: F1 BHS 26-APR-66.
- <4> SDR8643 Bibliographic reference: Marsden, B. 1977. The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire. p3.
- <5> SDR13602 Bibliographic reference: Kinnes, I. 1979. 'Round Barrows and Ring-Ditches in the British Neolithic', British Museum Occasional Paper No. 7. pp 17-18, 70.
- <6> SDR7113 Bibliographic reference: Hawke-Smith, C F. 1979. 'Man-Land Relations in British Prehistory: The Dove-Derwent Interfluve, Derbyshire', British Archaeological Report. Series 64 (170). p170.
- <7> SDR9404 Index: North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust (NDAT). North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust Index: 0024. 0024.
- <8> SDR2466 Unpublished document: Barnatt, J. 1989. The Peak District Barrow Survey (updated 1994). Site 10:9.
- <9> SDR23612 Article in serial: Makepeace, G. 2000. 'Prehistoric and Roman material from the Brassington area of Derbyshire: The Radford Collection', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2185 5784 (40m by 34m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | ALDWARK, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR539
- EDR1403
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Aug 12 2015 10:00AM