Details

Middleton Moor bowl barrow is located on the western edge of Middleton Moor in
the south-eastern uplands of the limestone plateau of Derbyshire. The monument
includes a steep-sided cairn and an impressive platform on which the cairn was
built. The platform measures 27.5m by 23.5m while the barrow measures 19m by
16.5m by c.3m high. The diameter of the platform on the south side has been
reduced in the past by the construction of a dry stone wall, apparently using
stone from the cairn. Only the foundations of this wall now survive and so, as
their disturbance would damage the monument, they are included in the
scheduling. In addition, the surface of the mound is slightly disturbed where
a small-scale amateur excavation was carried out in the 1970s on the
south-east side of the monument. During this excavation, human skeletal
remains were recovered along with a complete food vessel which dates the
barrow to the Bronze Age. In addition, sherds of Roman Derbyshire Ware pottery
have also been found on the surface of the barrow and in the excavation
trench. These indicate the re-use of the monument in the Romano-British
period.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments
dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most
examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as
earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple
burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often
acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar,
although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form
and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl
barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring
across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are
a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable
variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.

Although partially disturbed by minor excavation and stone-robbing, Middleton
Moor bowl barrow is still a well preserved and largely intact example
containing significant archaeological remains. The construction of the barrow
on a platform appears to be unique in the Peak District.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Barnatt, J, The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989), (1989)
Marsden, B M, The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire , (1977), 76
Other
Notes on Roman pottery sherds, Cooper, L B,

Source: Historic England