Ancient Monuments

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Bowl barrow on Fox Hill

A Scheduled Monument in Harpham, East Riding of Yorkshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.0398 / 54°2'23"N

Longitude: -0.3584 / 0°21'30"W

OS Eastings: 507600.750498

OS Northings: 461669.75633

OS Grid: TA076616

Mapcode National: GBR TPYQ.6L

Mapcode Global: WHGD6.GQKD

Entry Name: Bowl barrow on Fox Hill

Scheduled Date: 10 June 1952

Last Amended: 16 March 1994

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1007734

English Heritage Legacy ID: 21236

County: East Riding of Yorkshire

Civil Parish: Harpham

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): East Riding of Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Lowthorpe St Martin

Church of England Diocese: York

Details

The monument includes a large Bronze Age bowl barrow, perhaps re-used in later
periods. The barrow mound is now between 3m and 4m high and oval in shape,
measuring 21m south-west to north-east and 27m south-east to north-west.
However, the barrow is respected by a later field boundary to the north-west
and the better survival of the mound against this boundary confirms that it
was originally circular and larger, its shape having been modified by
ploughing. Although no longer visible at ground level, a ditch, from which
material was excavated during the construction of the monument, surrounds the
barrow mound. This has become in-filled over the years but survives as a
buried feature 3m wide.
On present evidence, the monument, which has not been excavated, is identified
as a Bronze Age barrow. However, because of its large size it has been
suggested that it could also represent a Roman burial mound and/or a Thing
mound, an early medieval meeting place.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

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 altered by agricultural activity, this barrow survives
reasonably well. It is one of a small number of larger barrows in the region
and may have been enlarged and re-used in the Roman and/or early medieval
periods.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
The Victoria History of the County of Yorkshire, (1974), 272
Bulmer, T, History And Directory of the East Riding, (1892), 235
Other
Sheppard, T, (1922)

Source: Historic England

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