Monument record MDR3341 - Ivet or Ibet Low, Hopton
Type and Period (2)
- ROUND BARROW (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- CREMATION (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
Ivet Low is marked in the 6" OS map of 1955. (1) 'About a mile south of the above mentioned valley [Via Gellia valley] on a rising ground near Hopton is a very large barrow called Abbot's Low'. (2) Workmen preparing for plantation of a large barrow called Abbot's Low discovered in it a sepulchre consisting of an urn of coarse baked earth, full of burnt bones, and covered by a piece of soft yellowish freestone measuring 20 by 30 inches. On this stone, worn lettering was detected. The stone has since been lost, but the lettering is said to have been: …../ GELL / PRAE C.III / LV BRIT. The interpretation of this fragment is uncertain and, since at the time when this stone was found, Mr Gell was a prominent landowner and roadmaker in the district, the letters GELL give rise to some suspicion either of forgery or of misreading. (3)
Abbots-Low near Hopton. This large barrow was opened by Major Rooke in 1793 and is called Abbot's Lowe in Bateman's 'Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire, p 26. It contained a very large urn, about seventeen inches in diameter, and a deposit of burnt bones and ashes. (4) There are documentary references to 'Ivett lowe peeice' in 1638 and to 'Evetlowe peece' in 1643. (5)
Possible Roman secondary cremation inserted into this presumed Bronze Age mound. The urn was recovered by Rooke in 1793 when the mound was being prepared for a plantation. It was reportedly covered by a slab that read GELL COLLL LV BRIT. The presence of the word Gell on a purportedly Roman tablet has led to suspicions of forgery. (7)
Scheduled. Ivet Low bowl barrow, also known as Ibet or Abbot's Low, is a sub-circular cairn situated in the south-eastern uplands of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument includes a mound measuring 22m by 20m and surviving to a height of c. 1m. A Bronze Age date has been assigned to the barrow following the discovery in 1793 of an urn containing cremated human remains. In addition, at about the same time, a Roman inscribed stone was also recovered indicating possible re-use of the barrow during the Roman period or later. (9)
This large barrow has four dead mature trees - all that remains of a stand planted I 1793. The mound is heavily overgrown, which makes inspection difficult [in the early 1980s]. There is a small central pit which is probably the site of the 1793 excavation. The northern side appears to have been steepened, probably by ploughing subsequent to enclosure. The other sides are protected by drystone walls. The original diameter was probably c. 18m. The trees probably protected the site from 19th century excavators and it may well be substantially undisturbed. (10)
Sources/Archives (10)
- <1> SDR11764 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1955. 6".
- <2> SDR1496 Article in serial: Rooke, H. 1796. 'Antiquities discovered in Derbyshire. In a Letter from Hayman Rooke, Esq, F.S.A. to theRev. Dr. Pegge, F.S.A.','Archaeologia. Volume 12, pp 1-5. pp 3-4.
- <3> SDR15994 Bibliographic reference: Haverfield, F. 1905. 'Romano-British Derbyshire', in Victoria County History, Derbyshire, Vol 1. pp 252-253.
- <4> SDR4433 Article in serial: Addy, S. 1908. 'The names of the Derbyshire and Staffordshire barrows', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 30, pp 103-141. p 112.
- <5> SDR13112 Bibliographic reference: Cameron, K. 1959. 'The Place-Names of Derbyshire, Part II', English Place-Name Society. p 379.
- <6> SDR6057 Personal Observation: F1 BHS 04-MAY-66.
- <7> SDR9752 Index: NDAT. 1360. 1360.
- <8> SDR8643 Bibliographic reference: Marsden, B. 1977. The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire. p 63.
- <9> SDR20512 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1992. Scheduling affirmation: Ivet Low Bowl Barrow. Cat. No. 208.
- <10> SDR2466 Unpublished document: Barnatt, J. 1989. The Peak District Barrow Survey (updated 1994). Site 10:25.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2595 5439 (20m by 16m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | HOPTON, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR445
- EDR802
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jan 15 2014 10:20AM