Duggleby Howe
Encyclopedia
Duggleby Howe is one of the
largest round barrow
s in Britain
, located on the
southern side of the Great Wold Valley
in the district of Ryedale, and is
one of four such monuments in this area, known collectively as the
Great barrows of East Yorkshire. Duggleby Howe is believed on the
basis of artefacts recovered to be of Late Neolithic
date, but no
radiocarbon
dates are available. Howe as a place name is believed to have originated from the Old Norse word haugr.
The monument consists of a mound, the base of which was 120 feet (37 m)
in diameter. The top of the barrow was apparently truncated at some point
in the past, leaving an almost-level platform some 47 feet (14 m) in
diameter. On this was constructed a post-mill of medieval type.
The mound was 22 feet (7 m) high at the eastern end and 18 or 19 feet (5.8 m)
(5 or 6 metres) high at the western end.
The barrow lies within a roughly circular enclosure, approximately 370
metres in diameter, formed from interrupted ditches, and open to the south.
To the east of the barrow, one within the enclosure and one outside, are two
ring ditch
es, believed to be of Bronze Age
date. Although the
barrow itself was long known, it was not until 1979 that the existence
of the enclosure was confirmed using aerial photographs taken by D.N. Riley.
The barrow was first excavated in either 1798 or 1799 by the Reverend
Christopher Sykes, but of his excavation no records remain. Beginning on
21 July 1890 J.R. Mortimer
, under the
sponsorship of Sir Tatton Sykes, excavated "an area of 40
feet square over the centre of the barrow, and a portion of the east side"
over a period of more than six weeks. This excavation was re-assessed by
Ian Kinnes, Timothy Schadla-Hall, Paul Chadwick and Philip Dean in 1983
to produce the interpretation presented below.
excavated and at the base of it was interred an adult male in a crouched
position accompanied by a Towthorpe bowl, flint cores and flint flakes.
Higher up in the fill of the shaft grave were interred an adult and an
infant, both in a crouched position. At the feet of the adult was placed
another adult's skull.
flint and antler tools, were laid in the hollow created by the settling of
the fill of the shaft grave.
which was deposited another adult in a couched position, accompanied by
flint arrowheads, flint flakes, a bone pin, and various implements formed
from boar tusk and beaver tooth.
The primary round barrow, composed of "clayey or earthy matter" was
then erected and in it were included the remains of four infants, three children, an adolescent and an adult. The mound was then completed
with a layer of "small chalk grit" and a thinner layer of "Blue
Kimmeridge clay".
inserted into the crest of it. None of the cremated remains were enclosed
in vessels, but instead occurred in heaps 6-18 inches (15-45 centimetres)
in diameter and 1-6 inches (2-15 centimetres) high. Because not all of
the barrow was excavated, Mortimer considered it possible that there were
equally as many cremations preserved in the untouched part of the mound.
The cremations were unaccompanied by artefacts except for three fragments
of burnt bone pin.
quarried chalk" to create the massive final mound.
Later the mound was used as the emplacement for a post-mill.
Kinnes and his colleagues see Duggleby Howe as a cemetery used
over a long period of time, representing a stratified funerary sequence for
the Late Neolithic. Roy Loveday has suggested, as did J.R. Mortimer, that in fact the many burials may represent instead a sacrifice to mark the
death of a powerful figure, perhaps the individual found at the base
of the original shaft grave.
Mortimer's excavation technique, although good for the time, has not
recorded the archaeological stratigraphy sufficiently well to allow this
question to be settled.
largest round barrow
Round barrow
Round barrows are one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe they are found in many parts of the world because of their simple construction and universal purpose....
s in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, located on the
southern side of the Great Wold Valley
Great Wold Valley
The Great Wold Valley is the largest and broadest of the valleys cutting into the Yorkshire Wolds. It carries the Gypsey Race, an intermittent stream, which once ran from Wharram-le-Street eastwards along and through the northern Yorkshire Wolds to reach the sea at Bridlington.It is known that the...
in the district of Ryedale, and is
one of four such monuments in this area, known collectively as the
Great barrows of East Yorkshire. Duggleby Howe is believed on the
basis of artefacts recovered to be of Late Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
date, but no
radiocarbon
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
dates are available. Howe as a place name is believed to have originated from the Old Norse word haugr.
The monument consists of a mound, the base of which was 120 feet (37 m)
in diameter. The top of the barrow was apparently truncated at some point
in the past, leaving an almost-level platform some 47 feet (14 m) in
diameter. On this was constructed a post-mill of medieval type.
The mound was 22 feet (7 m) high at the eastern end and 18 or 19 feet (5.8 m)
(5 or 6 metres) high at the western end.
The barrow lies within a roughly circular enclosure, approximately 370
metres in diameter, formed from interrupted ditches, and open to the south.
To the east of the barrow, one within the enclosure and one outside, are two
ring ditch
Ring ditch
In archaeology, the term ring ditch refers to a regularly shaped circular or pennanular ditch cut. The term is most often used as a generic description in cases where there is no clear evidence for the function of the site: for instance where it has been ploughed flat and is known only as a...
es, believed to be of Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
date. Although the
barrow itself was long known, it was not until 1979 that the existence
of the enclosure was confirmed using aerial photographs taken by D.N. Riley.
The barrow was first excavated in either 1798 or 1799 by the Reverend
Christopher Sykes, but of his excavation no records remain. Beginning on
21 July 1890 J.R. Mortimer
John Robert Mortimer
John Robert Mortimer was an English corn-merchant and archaeologist who lived in Driffield, Yorkshire and was responsible for the excavation of many barrows in that area, including Duggleby Howe....
, under the
sponsorship of Sir Tatton Sykes, excavated "an area of 40
feet square over the centre of the barrow, and a portion of the east side"
over a period of more than six weeks. This excavation was re-assessed by
Ian Kinnes, Timothy Schadla-Hall, Paul Chadwick and Philip Dean in 1983
to produce the interpretation presented below.
Phase I
In the first phase of activity at Duggleby Howe a shaft grave wasexcavated and at the base of it was interred an adult male in a crouched
position accompanied by a Towthorpe bowl, flint cores and flint flakes.
Higher up in the fill of the shaft grave were interred an adult and an
infant, both in a crouched position. At the feet of the adult was placed
another adult's skull.
Phase II
Once the shaft grave had been back-filled two adults, accompanied byflint and antler tools, were laid in the hollow created by the settling of
the fill of the shaft grave.
Phase III
To the east of the shaft grave was then cut a shallow grave inwhich was deposited another adult in a couched position, accompanied by
flint arrowheads, flint flakes, a bone pin, and various implements formed
from boar tusk and beaver tooth.
The primary round barrow, composed of "clayey or earthy matter" was
then erected and in it were included the remains of four infants, three children, an adolescent and an adult. The mound was then completed
with a layer of "small chalk grit" and a thinner layer of "Blue
Kimmeridge clay".
Phase IV
Subsequent to the construction of the primary mound, 53 cremations wereinserted into the crest of it. None of the cremated remains were enclosed
in vessels, but instead occurred in heaps 6-18 inches (15-45 centimetres)
in diameter and 1-6 inches (2-15 centimetres) high. Because not all of
the barrow was excavated, Mortimer considered it possible that there were
equally as many cremations preserved in the untouched part of the mound.
The cremations were unaccompanied by artefacts except for three fragments
of burnt bone pin.
Phase V
The barrow was subsequently enlarged by the addition of "roughlyquarried chalk" to create the massive final mound.
Later the mound was used as the emplacement for a post-mill.
Kinnes and his colleagues see Duggleby Howe as a cemetery used
over a long period of time, representing a stratified funerary sequence for
the Late Neolithic. Roy Loveday has suggested, as did J.R. Mortimer, that in fact the many burials may represent instead a sacrifice to mark the
death of a powerful figure, perhaps the individual found at the base
of the original shaft grave.
Mortimer's excavation technique, although good for the time, has not
recorded the archaeological stratigraphy sufficiently well to allow this
question to be settled.
The Great Barrows of East Yorkshire
- Willy Howe
- South Side Mount
- Wold Newton Barrow 284
- Duggleby Howe