Chris Collyer

This is the only ‘securely identified oval barrow’ in Humberside according to EH but I’ve seen very similar long barrows elsewhere . In the scheduling of 1995 they give its height as 1.75 metres but it didn’t look much over a metre to me while the 52m east-west and 30m north-south looked about right.
The mound is on private land with notices of a bull in the field, although I didn’t see one.

There’s not a lot I can add to Stu’s notes as he sums this site up nicely along with directions and parking. I will add that the walk along the A57 is by a narrow overgrown path at the side of the road so be careful, also once you’re off the road then it’s uphill all the way to the stones, about 100 metres rise in just under a kilometre. Once you reach the site the views are pretty special, to the east it’s fairly gentle and rolling while to the west the twin peaks of Crook Hill are really ‘in yer face’ in a way that is unlike any other site in the area.
So what is this ring of stones? English Heritage can’t decide whether it’s a stone circle or kerbed cairn, it certainly looks like a small stone circle and reminded me of Bamford Moor but its location seems to shout cairn. Whichever, although it’s nothing spectacular to look at I reckon it’s one of the overlooked gems of the Peak. Just keep this one to yerself.

I picked about the worst time of the year to visit this site – September and the vegetation round the stones was just mental. Set on the gently eastward sloping eastern side of the moor before it starts to descend rapidly down to the Derwent it’s interesting that these are freestanding stones and not an embanked circle though you would hardly be able to tell. The dug out cairn in the centre is crazy too, you can stand at the bottom and not see over the top in places.
EH report four standing stones with two others fallen and measuring between 25cm and just over a metre tall set in a ring measuring 13 metres in diameter and also mention that there were nine stones in total here in the 19th century. If any site was a candidate for a good clear up it would be this one, it would be quite impressive without all the bilberry and heather, mind you the health and safety people would probably fence off the central crater to stop people falling in. Ho hum.

This was a real sod to find, in the end it took three attempts and the vegetation dying back a bit before I was sure I was in the right place and could see the form of the low bank. The stones are tiny and mostly buried as has been noted but the dug out cairn is fairly easy to find if not much to look at. While rooting around in the heather I found a suspicious looking leaning slab a little further to the southeast, don’t know if it was part of a buried cairn but it certainly looked more like a standing stone than those of the circle!

I can echo most of what’s already been said about this site – it’s difficult to get to, takes a while to work out what’s here, and has some great views. I approached it northwest from the footpath to Leam where the 550 metres on the map don’t look difficult – they are. The first 400 metres are uphill through thick heather with the added complication of some fairly deep holes to watch out for. Once you’re over the top it’s down hill to the circle but even then it doesn’t really become clear until you reach it (the nearby Ministry of Works sign has now gone) and initially it’s the heather on the raised bank that gives away its form. This bank has an internal diameter of around 30 metres and once you’re in the centre of it, it seems huge with many of the stones barely visible in the vegetation although the chair stone sticks out like a sore thumb and it’s top does indeed resemble Higger Tor two and a half miles away to the northeast. There seems to be some stones missing from the western side of the circle but theres a good run of stones towards the south and southeast while the views are all to the northwest round to the northeast along the Derwent valley. Incidentally considering it’s isolated position it’s one of the busiest sites I’ve visited in the Peak District, as I approached it a bloke who was photographing the cairn wandered off, there were a couple of walkers taking a break in the circle and as I left another couple with a dog were just coming over the hill asking for directions to the stones.

These are certainly decent sized cup marks and larger than I was expecting, in fact the peppering of tennis ball sized cups across two faces and the top of the stone make it look like some giant piece of fossilised cheese. Don’t overlook the cairn though, it’s quite impressive in itself. Marked on the map as a ring cairn English Heritage record it as a flat-topped round cairn which is apparently fairly rare in this area. The jumble of stones in the middle seems to be the result of robbing with the whole structure being between 15-18 metres in size, the carved rock sits towards the outer edge of this mound with some smaller stones nearby suggesting some kind of kerb.
There are some great views from the site, Sir William Hill rises ominously just to the southeast with Hathersage Moor away to the northeast while to the northwest there’s the weird Abney Low hill and the Smelting Hill / Offerton Moor area.

I have to say the cup marks on both these stones look fairly convincing to me, the decorated upright nearby and the cup marked stone in the Wet Withens cairn demonstrates that there was certainly some tradition of carving stones in this area. I wonder if a thorough investigation of the moor would turn up more marked rocks?

Visited in September 2007 and Ministry of Works sign had been removed so can’t be used as a waymarker to find the cairn and nearby Wet Withens. The cairn itself has been bashed about and it’s difficult to figure out what it was meant to be. There is a suggestion that it may originally have been a pair of cairns that were either joined in antiquity or by more recent excavation/quarrying while another idea is that it could have been a long cairn. It measures about 28 metres by 18 metres.

This barrow stands just over the fence next to a slip road off the A171. This slip road makes an ideal parking place for exploring the southwestern end of Brow Moor/Stony Marl Moor. The barrow itself is small low mound that sits on a high point of land and is very similar in size to the two Jugger Howes barrows that stand 300 metres south east on the other side of the head of Burn Howe Dale. This position is interesting as all three barrows seem to mark the limit of the valley, in Lincolnshire similar locations were often the site of long barrows.

As previously mentioned parking here isn’t easy. There’s a passing place just to the east of the village at SK201800, if you park carefully you can avoid blocking it. From here a footpath heads north then cuts northeast across a couple of fields then onto the moor where it starts to get a bit steep but by the time you get close to the stones the track has levelled off giving views across the moor to the north. It’s the views to the south and east that impress though – due south on the other side of the valley the low saucer shaped hill of Abney Low looks like a squashed Silbury while Higger Tor stands out on the horizon to the east with Eyam Moor to the southeast.
The site itself isn’t in a great state of preservation with just a single standing stone and a further fallen stone visible. This smaller one seems to be set into the inner edge of the bank while the larger one looks to be set further into the interior, it could just be that the bank is more eroded here – there’s certainly a lot of erosion around the base of the stone. English Heritage give the measurements of this stone as 75cm high with the bank having an internal diameter of about 8 metres and a width of between 1.5 and 2 metres.

Not the easiest site to get to but I really liked this one. I parked at the same layby at SK281751 that gives access to Barbrook I and II, but took the track that leads east uphill to the ruined building of Ramsley Lodge. From here a decent track leads north then you need to cut across to the northeast towards the ring cairn. A word of warning though, parts of the moor are very marshy and I had to backtrack a couple of times to find a safer route. The site sits on a slightly raised area above this wet ground with views across it to the west towards Big Moor while just to the east the land slopes down to the stream that stands at the bottom of Hewetts Bank. The ring of rubble stones looked pretty well defined to my eyes, particularly to the south. On the way back I took a route towards the other entrance to the moor at SK283757 but this also proved quite waterlogged in places too.

The two smaller stones are easy enough to spot when approached from the track but the large square boulder on the rise of the hill really draws the eye. If my map reading is correct then the alignment passes northnorthwest just below, and following the line of, Birchen Edge, across the top of Gardom’s Edge, shaves the western edge of Swine Sty and onto White Edge. Whether this alignment was deliberate, part of a field boundary, or just a coincidence and the two small stones formed part of some other structure seems open to question but the alignment theory seems wholly believable on site when standing behind the smaller stones.

This is a bugger to find even with a gps. Approached from the direction of the 4 poster it’s impossible to see this cist until you fall into it as it is beneath the level of the heather, approached from the north however the large boulder becomes evident from a few metres away. This boulder looks like it may be earthfast while the other stones look pretty rough and ready, this is no elegant slab lines tomb but it does have a charm of it’s own, Stu mentions 2 sides of the cist being visible but I could only see the stones of the eastern side, any others must have been buried under the heather.

A lovely little site set on a gentle northeast slope that leads down to Umberley Brook, there’s a real sense of seclusion and isolation about these stones probably enhanced by the trek across the moor to reach them. All three are just over half a metre tall, about a couple of metres apart and with the axis of presumed square being northnortheast – southsouthwest, assuming of course there was ever a fourth stone.

Fairly easy to find and a short walk across the heather from the track that runs along the western edge of the moor. In Stu’s photo from 2002 the area looks to have been recently burnt off and as of summer 2008 the area to the west hasn’t fully regenerated although the stones themselves are starting to become engulfed in heather and rush and the smaller stones that may have formed part of a kerb are already covered.
The suggestion that the natural stone to the west could have been a prominent feature seems very plausible as it sticks out like a sore thumb, looking like some kind of megalithic sun lounger.
Some nice views to the northwest round to the northeast. OS Ref SK28146973

It’s a bit difficult to fathom this one out. There are several sets of 2 or more stones at the grid ref and slightly southwest that could form part of the arc of a ring cairn and the ground is uneven enough to suggest a low bank in places but nothing definite to my eyes. It’s good to read in Idwal’s post that even the archaeologists can’t agree on some of the sites of the moor.

I had a root round for this one but there’s not much to see (assuming that the site is accurately marked on the OS 1:25000 map) There does seem to be a semi-circular feature to the west of the fence that it evident by the growth of heather more than anything else and a slight change in the vegetation to the north and south where the track beside the fence passes through the cairn. Might be worth a look for the bank in winter.

English Heritage seem particularly undecided on the date of this one, saying probably post-Roman through to possibly as late as 7th century but on the other hand maybe Iron Age or even Bronze Age. So could be anything really.
I wonder if there is a clue in where the northeastern end of the earthwork leads to. As I was driving north away from the site I noticed some strange bumps and small hills to the east just after the two roads join and assumed they were quarry spoil heaps. Checking the maps and internet later I found out these are a natural feature known as Canyards Hills and that Natural England calls them “the most impressive example of ‘tumbled ground’ in England and Wales” Is it significant that Bar Dyke leads to, or from these hills?

I wasn’t expecting much from this site but was pleasantly surprised. Set on a gently northeast facing slope framed by Ewden Beck to the north and one of its tributaries to the east English Heritage record this as being a ring cairn rather than a stone circle. It’s difficult to tell exactly what it is as it’s quite overgrown and rooting around in the bracken and heather turns up many half buried small stones that formed part of a bank which the Morgans reckon is about 2-3 metres wide, the whole circle having a diameter of about 20 metres. There are 4 or 5 largish boulders that could be said to be standing together with a few slab like fallen stones, the rest of the larger stones are towards the northern, northeastern and southeastern edges of the ring while those to the west seem to be mainly packing material from the bank. I’m sure there are many more stones that I missed. The northern entrance seems well defined but I couldn’t quite decide which stones formed the southern entrance although what could be a fallen slab outlier could provide a clue.
The site has some decent views from the northwest round to the southeast but it’s the Salter Hills to the east that really draw the eye. There’s also a few interestingly named places close by – Stone Moor, Bolsterstone, Midhopestones and the wonderfully quaint Wigtwizzle.

An interesting site but what a mess. It sits in it’s own little enclosure on Harland Edge with an information board next to it showing a plan of the bank, ditch, central cairn and cist which you need to study to get any understanding of the monument as the whole site is covered in a layer of bracken and heather. It consists of a central raised cairn (with traces of a stone kerb) that measures about 8 metres square and is about a metre above the surrounding square ditch. Within this central area is a cist which Bateman illustrated as being edged with 13 stones and containing a layer of charcoal with a collection of bones towards the north with a further group of bones as well as fragments of lead ore contained within an arc of stones in the south-eastern corner. He noted that the bones as well as the arc of stones were all fire scorched. The 3 metre wide ditch leads to square bank that measures a further 3 metres in width and stands about a metre tall although the northern side has been lost to a packhorse track.
I got the distinct impression that Hob Hurst’s House and the group of barrows that follow the northwest-southeast line of Harland Edge formed part of a boundary or division of the moors between the sites of Gibbet Moor to the north and those of Beeley Warren on lower ground to the west.

Not an easy site to find but what’s left of it becomes recognisable once you know where it is. The outer three large stones are the most obvious things to look out for then the bank which seems to measure a couple of metres wide with a large stone that may well have formed part of an inner kerb. It’s a shame that the site is so damaged as it could have been an impressive place. I’ve got an OS ref of SK2696075154 which puts it just a shade to the right of the circle marked ‘enclosure’ on the OS 1:50000 map. There’s a load of (clearance?) cairns and rocks of the Swine Sty field system as well as a handfull of barrows to the northeast.

A limestone and rubble cairn measuring 17-18 metres in diameter and less than a metre tall which stands at the foot of Beacon Hill with Great Asby Scar just beyond to the east. These hills are of course the same ones that overlook Gamelands circle a mile and a quarter to the southeast. It’s just possible that there is a sightline between these two sites, if anybody is passing Broadfell it might be worth checking it out (I didn’t realise until checking the map much later).

A limestone and earth cairn measuring between 18-23 metres in diameter and about a metre high that stands on a northeast-southwest spine of land that runs between the valleys of Lyvennet Beck to the west and Scale Beck to the east. It has been lucky to survive as there is a limestone quarry just a few metres away to the south. Some nice views to the northeast towards the Lune Forest and Dufton and Murton Fell.

Louven Howe represents the highest point in this chain of barrows and stands just by the junction of several tracks. One leads north into Sneaton High Moor Woods, one south into Langdale Forest, one southeast towards Scarborough and one northwest along the same ridge as Ann Cross and Foster Howes.

About half a mile southeast of the Foster Howe barrows on the same ridge stands the lowish barrow at Ann Cross. EH record it as being about 18 metres diameter by 1.2 metres high although it seemed smaller to me (non megalithic push-bike included in photo for scale). They also mention a 2 metre wide ditch and some traces of a stone kerb neither of which I can confirm as I didn’t notice either feature in the short time I was there. It does however have the ubiquitous crater left behind by those naughty early antiquarians who seemed to love excavating barrows but weren’t so keen on actually recording what they found. Canon Greenwell had this to say on the subject in 1890 when he wrote about the barrows of the area – “Nearly all the barrows have been opened, and many of them in quite recent times, but no account of these examinations has been recorded, so far as I am aware, except a short notice of the openings of some on Cloughton Moor”.
While the barrow has great views west, the eastward view towards the sea is now partly blocked by the trees of Louven Howe Side and Pike Hill.

The OS 1:50000 map shows two barrows here but there are actually three that stand in an almost north-south line along Foster Howes Ridge with the land falling away gently on each side. The barrows are visible from some distance, particularly when approached from the northwest when they are silhouetted on the skyline and there are fine views across Goathland Moor to the southwest and down to the sea at Robin Hoods Bay to the east from the barrows themselves.
When approached by track from this northwest direction it is the smaller northern barrow that is met with first, with the central barrow just beyond it but on the other side of the fence. The third (and largest) barrow stands a little further away just to the west of a gate and stile. This southernmost barrow also had a stone kerb although a very quick rummage through the heather only turned up one stone – there may be more. All three barrows show the signs of previous diggings with craters in the top, the one to the south has a rough looking boundary stone in it’s crater, the central barrow is also said to have it’s own stone although I can’t confirm this.

This is a difficult mound to photograph as it is so badly covered in heather and is also the most low lying barrow of the group, indeed if you draw a line linking all the barrows together then Robbed Howe marks the lowest point of that line – from here it’s uphill in either direction.

The smaller stone here has been so regularly shaped that it would be impossible to tell if it had a prehistoric origin. The larger stone is a difficult one to call as far as I’m concerned, it may be prehistoric but has been tooled on one face and at least one side with the face bearing an inscription from 1784. The barrow is also a little suspicious due to it’s size and the fact that although it’s marked as tumulus on the map it doesn’t appear in my copy of the SMR.
Scratch head and file under Hmmm....

This is the easiest barrow of this group to visit as it stands just a few metres to the west of a small car parking area next to the Whitby – Goathland road. EH says it measures about 13 metres by 1 metre tall and like many of these barrows has a large hollow in its top – the result of antiquarian excavations or plundering in the past. While Breckon Howe is clearly visible from here, I don’t think the next barrow in the chain, Flass Brow, can be seen from this point (I need to check the sightline again)
Although Sil Howe appears on the SMR it is not shown on either the 1:50000 or 1:25000 OS maps. This seems rather strange as it was formerly the home of the Lilla cross between 1952-1962 which would have been a prominent local landmark.

Paulus’ advice is to visit this one on a wet day and catch it in low sunlight – I managed to visit on a dry February day late in the afternoon when the sun was coming in from the wrong direction. Some of the rings are just about visible and can be traced with a finger but the design is incredibly worn – shame.

This is an interesting stone propped up against a wall on the edge of the churchyard close to the ‘plague stone’. It consists of a central cross within a diamond shape with the centre carved into a shallow depression, further grooves continue the diamond shape out towards the edge of the stone. I wasn’t sure if it was prehistoric when I saw it but PRAWR has it recorded as stone 208 and says that Eric Cowling suggested it may have been a cist cover.

Easy enough to find in the churchyard, PRAWR says this stands ‘among other stones of interest’. The only other stone I could find here was the lozenge stone (208 in the classification) that stands a few feet away, the rest are all medieval from what I remember.

This is an odd one – perched on top of a 30 foot chalk quarry face on the edge of a nature reserve. The quarry was once the site of chalk extraction, which was then burned to make agricultural lime and it was while digging around the base of the barrow in the early 20th century that a grave containing a crouched skeleton and a beaker pot was discovered. It is said that the pot (later dated to around 1600BC) rolled down the chalk face and was damaged while the unfortunate occupant of the grave later received a burial in the local churchyard. I don’t know why the quarrymen didn’t continue digging away at the barrow but I would hazard a guess that they didn’t want to disturb any more bodies.
What’s left of the barrow now measures about 15 metres in diameter, stands a metre tall and is situated on a northwest-southeast spur of land overlooking the valley of Burlands Beck. This same spur is also the location of the Deadmen’s Grave long barrows about 500 metres to the northwest.

This is quite a large barrow that has managed to survive intensive agriculture as well as excavation and people riding trials bikes over it in recent years. Measuring between 30 and 35 metres in diameter the oval mound is still a couple of metres tall with the large depression in one side resulting from archaeological investigations in 1941. Although the land that the barrow stands on is fairly flat it seems that the close proximity of the source of the River Bain just a few hundred metres to the north west and the ancient trackway known as ‘High Street’ just to the south west might well have been the reason for its location here.
The barrow is believed to have been reused as the base of a set of gallows and more recently the site’s association with death continued in the early 1960’s when a nuclear missile launch site was commissioned less than a mile to the south east (don’t worry, they’re long gone).

I have to admit that this is a new one to me, I’ve never expected any barrows in this part of the county and hence never bothered looking, but here it is, marked on the map (though not as tumulus) too, which is even more of a surprise. It stands on a slight rise and can be see from some distance due to the trees growing on it but unusually for barrows in the county it is not associated with any streams or rivers, the nearest one is 2-3 miles away. English Heritage say it measures about 17 by 11 metres and stands around 2 metres high.

This is a nice barrow in a pleasant spot standing on gently eastward sloping land between 2 tributaries of the River Lymn with some great views of the surrounding countryside. The barrow itself is oval measuring roughly 30 metres by 20 metres (probably the result of plough damage) and stands about a couple of metres tall with a sizeable depression in its top. It is though that this is the result of the barrow being used as the base for a windmill at some time in the past, indeed it is marked on the OS map as ‘mill mound’.

This barrow has often fallen in to ‘is it or isn’t it’ category. It’s shape and position are not typical of the Lincolnshire long barrows being a lengthened oval rather than trapezoid and standing on greensand rather than the chalk of the other barrows in the region. C. Phillips writing in 1932 likened it to several barrows in east Yorkshire while P. Phillips (I’m assuming they are related) said in 1989 that excavations had proved inconclusive, further in 1998 Dilwyn Jones failed to mention the site in his study of the long barrows of the area (although he also missed out at least one other recognised barrow).
English Heritage on the other hand have no doubts and list it as a definite long barrow giving its measurements as 65 metres by 20 metres with a maximum height of about one and a half metres and aligned south-east to north-west.
As with many other Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in Lincolnshire it is close to the prehistoric trackway known as High Street and also stands close to the head of a valley that marks one of the sources of Kingerby Beck – the kind of position common to local barrows.

A nicely preserved barrow about 20 metres in diameter and just over 2 metres high standing next to the Viking way and to the north-east of the village of Burgh-on-Bain. The piece of land that the barrow stands on is a north-south spur that extends between the valleys of the River Bain to the west and one of it’s tributaries to the east ending where the Bain cuts eastward then south again at the deserted medieval village of Biscathorpe a mile or so to the south. This gives the site an impressive 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside which is rich in chalk and flint – indeed English Heritage say that there have been several finds of worked flint from the soil around the barrow.

Further to what Dave says English Heritage only records a single barrow here – the round barrow to the east of the track. It has indeed been almost destroyed by ploughing with the earth and chalk body of the mound being spread across an area of 30-40 metres. If you crouch down though you can still see a slight hump in the field against the horizon.
The barrows position is interesting as while the land drops away by a nearly a hundred metres within a mile to the west to the River Bain, the barrow is just below the eastern crest of the hill and seems positioned to overlook a series of 5 or 6 valleys on this more gently sloping side of the hill. What could be more important however is that between the barrow and these valleys is a minor road that runs roughly northwest-southeast along a flattened ridge that was formerly used as a prehistoric trackway along this part of the Wolds. This trackway is now known as ‘Bluestone Heath Road’ and runs almost parallel to the ‘High Street’ trackway 3 miles to the east on the other side of the Bain but it appears that it was either felt to be less important and attracted less barrows or if they existed here in the past they have now been lost.
Fact fans: The large dishes close to the barrow that look like they come from a sci-fi filmset formed part of a cold war microwave communications system code named ‘Ace High’. They can be seen on the goole map photo to the northwest of the barrow.

This is a smallish barrow measuring 15 metres by 1 metre high with slight traces of a ditch to the north and south that stands on a parish boundary just outside the village of Buslingthorpe. The first thing that is noticeable is how flat the land is, in the surrounding square mile the elevation doesn’t rise or fall much more than a couple of metres either way. What there is round here however is plenty of water, the barrow is sited almost exactly half way between 2 tributaries of Barlings Eau – I’m assuming that these existed when the barrow was built and are not a result of more recent land drainage.

This is one of the tallest remaining barrows in the county despite, or because of, it’s use as a ROC monitoring post. When the post was constructed in the late 1950’s a large trench some 7 metres long and 3 metres deep was gouged out of the top of the monument and it could be that the height of the barrow was slightly increased in the process of building. Whatever, it stands a respectable 3 metres high with a circumference of 20 metres on the edge of a field next to the B1225 – an ancient trackway with several round and long barrows associated with it. It also marks the highest point in the immediate area with the land sloping away westward to a tributary of the river Witham and eastwards towards the River Bain.
Fact fans: The Belmont aerial mast just to the southeast is the tallest structure in Europe.

The grid reference given for this site is the northmost and most prominent of the 2 round barrows, which isn’t marked on the OS map. The barrow to the south at TF215845, which is marked on the map, is just about lost on the edge of a small copse and likely to vanish even more as the tree cover increases.
The northern barrow stands in isolation in a field and has three large trees growing from the mound which measures about 14 metres in diameter and just over a metre tall. The southern barrow is larger at around 22 metres in diameter but is lower at under a metre in height. Both of these monuments are less than a hundred metres from the prehistoric trackway now know as High Street and less than half a mile south from Burgh on Bain long barrow. At this point on the trackway the land slopes down on either side – to a tributary of the River Witham on the west and to the River Bain on the east.

This is a nicely preserved barrow that unlike many in the county is easily accessible as it stands next to the B1225, a road that is now recognised as an ancient trackway. Although it can become overgrown in summer a visit in winter or early spring reveals a 25 metre diameter mound rising to 2 metres in height and the sides seem to have suffered only minimal damage over the years. There are some fine views to the east towards the valley of the fledgling Waithe Beck about a mile away and while the western view is obscured by bushes the barrow is in fact only about 400 metres away from the valley of the River Rase.

One of the smaller long barrows in Lincolnshire, this oval mound is only 27 metres long and 14 metres at its widest point. It stands around 2 metres tall (underneath the grass and bushes) and is ringed by 5 largish trees that have probably protected it from agricultural damage for a good few years.
Aligned wsw-ene it is situated on a ridge that slopes down to the valley of the River Bain about a mile away to the west, and is less than 100 metres from the ancient trackway of High Street. This trackway, that runs along the spine of the Wolds, is rich in round barrows and 3 stand within a few hundred metres to the south.
Note: This long barrow is marked on the OS Map as ‘tumulus‘

This is the most northerly of the Lincolnshire long barrows and stands in a copse on the eastern edge of a dry valley that now cuts across the road that runs from Swallow to Thorganby. It is also the shortest of the regions Neolithic barrows being about 24 metres long by 12 metres wide at its southern end and 6 metres wide at the north. At it’s highest point it is just under a metre and a half tall and has a large pit dug into the southern end.
The alignment of ssw – nne seems unusual but it allows the barrow to follow the contour of the ridge, this seems to have been the most important criteria for the builders.
The site is quite overgrown and can be difficult to find – park at the southern end of the copse and follow the line of undergrowth uphill for a short distance before heading under the trees.

This is a strange one. One of the largest round barrows in Lincolnshire and it doesn’t even appear on the OS Landranger maps, plus it has never been damaged by ploughing and there are no records of any excavation or signs of pillage. It sits on private land behind Hatcliffe Manor House but can be seen from the road that runs between Hatcliffe and Binbrook and from a farm track leading west from the road. Even from a distance it is large and impressive – the most impressive that I’ve seen in Lincolnshire (a county not renowned for its round barrows) being about 30 metres wide and 3 metres high although being on a slight rise it looks taller from some angles. The top seems to have been slightly levelled, whether this is how it was originally built or has been caused by wind and rain erosion over the centuries is unclear. It’s difficult to see what was going on here, there don’t seem to be any other barrows in the area apart from the earlier Ash Holt longbarrow a mile and a half to the northwest and there are more prominent locations nearby. The barrow can however be seen from a wide area and it also sits close to a 90 degree bend in the nearby Waithe Beck. Was this the reason for the position of the barrow?

This well preserved set of earthworks is marked on the map as ‘fort’ and James Dyer calls it an Iron Age Hillfort but I would think it falls more into the category of defended settlement. The best approach to the site is to park on rough land at the start of the track at SK948431, the track then leads uphill and to the southeast. It takes a sharp right turn as the land levels off and continues along the side of a small wood for about 600 metres before turning left and leading 500 metres to the earthwork. The track is rutted and very muddy in places and would be unsuitable for wheelchair users.
The site sits below and to the northeast of the highest point of Barkston Heath and consists of a small roughly rectangular set of banks and ditches enclosing an area of 0.4-0.5 hectares. The earthworks themselves comprise of an inner bank, ditch, larger central bank, ditch and then a lower outer bank or counterscarp. There is an entrance through the eastern defences and the ditches are still a couple of metres deep in places, the whole site being in remarkably good condition considering its exposed position and the fact that it sits on a gentle slope in good farming land. I can’t see that its primary purpose was as a stronghold though, there are some decent views to the north and east but the middle distance view to the west is blocked and that to the south isn’t fantastic and anyway the defences look like they could easily be overcome. I got the impression that it would be better suited to a small family group, perhaps farmers who were cultivating the lower slopes to the east that are now taken up with an airfield. Finds from the site include some Roman coins (Ermine Street runs about a mile to the east) as well as remains of (Iron Age?) weapons.

A ring of 6 stones measuring about 10 metres in diameter.
Strange how people’s perceptions of a site can be so different, everybody else who has visited this site seems to have loved it. Maybe it was because it was getting dark and cold, maybe it was having to jump the wall and the feeling of trespassing or maybe it was the decayed whole sheep remains and bits of bones, but I only stayed long enough for a quick look round and a few photo’s. I do have to agree about the largest stone though, it looks like a natural boulder that is partly covered with grass to the south and with a flat front facing into the circle, almost like it was addressing it – could explain the orientation of the site. I found it interesting that the fine views to the south that can be seen from the road are just about hidden at the circle with only the tops of the distant hills still in sight – was this circle meant to be hidden from those approaching from (or living in) the south?

The henge sits on a small plateau of land with Wharfdale to the west and Hebden Beck to the east. To answer Stu’s question about views, it’s mainly hills in the near and middle distance with a gap to the east and a larger view down towards the south across the Grassington area. The henge itself is a tiny little thing, English Heritage give it’s measurements as a 20-22 metre internal area surrounded by a 3.5 metre wide ditch and then a 3-4 metre wide bank. The bank is made of stone and earth and covered with turf with a single causeway to the southeast. As Stu notes there is a large area that has been quarried away in recent times but considering the amount of mining close by and the fact that the henge is so small and seemingly forgotten about it’s done well to survive.
Crossing over the wall and into the field I had to disturb a flock of sheep to get to the henge, these critters and the position of the site with hills around gave me the idea that it could well have formed a local meeting point for stock trading and well as other ceremonies that we might expect at such places, but only serving a small local community. I couldn’t really picture people travelling great distances to get here – definitely a local henge for local people.

This is a lovely little ring of stones that is recorded in the scheduling information as a small stone circle. Dyer on the other hand thinks it may have been a ring cairn while Burl marks it under ‘uncertain status including misidentified sites and hybrid rings such as complex ring cairns’ in his Stone Circles of the British Isles – I don’t know if he elaborates further in any of his other books. Whichever, it’s in a fantastic position just beside the river which when I visited was in full flow making any idea of paddling across an impossibility but the walk via Yockenthwaite farm and the side of the river is pleasant enough. The first thing you notice going by this route is a large boulder just to the south east of the ring, the scheduling cites this as a possible outlier and mentions a couple of other questionable outlying stones further away to the west, the ring could possibly have had a pair of concentric circles as there seems to be the remains of an outer ring to the northwest.