Monument record MDR7640 - Barrow 2, Longstone Edge, High Rake, Great Longstone
Type and Period (4)
- ROUND BARROW (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- INHUMATION (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- CREMATION (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- CIST (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
A mound with the following dimensions: length 16m, breadth 13.5m and height 1m, is almost certainly a barrow and lies adjacent to a larger site (SMR 6431) on the hilltop with a mounded reservoir tank between them. The centre appears undisturbed and the only damage is round the edges, where there are several small quarry pits. (1)
In the early 1990s deep fissures appeared running through the two adjacent barrows. As a result of subsidence, the southern halves of both barrows started to move into the adjacent opencut of Deep Rake. In 1996, therefore, the barrows were extensively excavated by English Heritage's Central Excavation Services. This showed that excavations by Bateman in 1848, tentatively suggested by Authority 1 in the late 1980s to have been dug into the larger barrow (Site 4:9, see SMR 6431) were in fact made into the smaller mound. (2)
The smaller of the two barrows was constructed entirely during the Bronze Age and there was no trace of pre-Bronze Age activity, unlike the larger of the two. Thomas Bateman's excavation of 1848 was identified and recorded, and showed that his records are surprisingly accurate. (3)
This site is now known to be the one recorded by Bateman as having been opened on August 29 1848. In the centre he found 'an irregularly shaped rock grave, about three feet deep, lined with flat stones placed edge-way, and covered with four or five large slabs laid over it without much regularity. It contained a deposit of calcined bones,evidently of an adult, with bits of stags' horn intermixed, laid in a heap near the middle of the grave, which was the chief interment; in one corner was the decayed skeleton of a child of tender age, around which were numerous rats' bones; and in the opposite corner were two vases of different shapes … which yet stood upright in their original position, and contained nothing but fine mould; casually were found some cows' teeth, two hoofs of deer, and a bit of flint'. Bateman also found part of the cranium of another skeleton just outside the lining stones of the grave, indicating a prior interment. (4)
The two different types of 'food vessel' have been considered together with other Peak District examples. (5)
Barrow 2, which had been partially excavated in the 19th century by Bateman, had a less complex sequence and fewer finds than Barrow 1 (SMR 6431), though there were human remains broadly contemporary with those in Barrow 1 cist grave. Barrow 2 seems to have contained no more than three individuals. Assemblages of struck flint, prehistoric and Romano-British pottery, human and animal remains, charred plant remains and molluscs were recovered from both monuments and provide information on the nature of human activity in different periods and the formation processes that have operated. (6)
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SDR2466 Unpublished document: Barnatt, J. 1989. The Peak District Barrow Survey (updated 1994). Site 4:10.
- <2> SDR19595 Article in serial: Barnatt, J. 1999. 'Taming the land: Peak District farming and ritual in the Bronze Age', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Vol. 119, pp 19-78. p 61.
- <3> SDR21074 *Internet Web Site: 1996-97. '4.13.1: Longstone Edge, Derbyshire, excavation for management', Archaeology Review. www.eng-h.gov.uk/archrev.
- <4> SDR16985 Bibliographic reference: Bateman, T. 1861. Ten Years' Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave Hills. pp 42-3.
- <5> SDR8479 Article in serial: Manby, T. 1957. 'Food vessels of the Peak District', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 77, pp 1-29. illustrated - A14, A15.
- <6> SDR23594 Article in serial: Last, J (English Heritage). 2014. 'The excavation of two round barrows on Longstone Edge, Derbyshire', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2086 7340 (13m by 13m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | GREAT LONGSTONE, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR4034
- EDR4035
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jul 22 2015 2:30PM