Monument record 1601 - Bronze Age bowl barrow south of Blue Boar Farm

<1> Sainter J D, 1878, Scientific Rambles Round Macclesfield, /16 1878 (Book). SCH2964.

Possible Bronze Age barrow. Described as a 'conical tumulus, in a field opposite the Blue Boar Farm, which has been more or less disturbed'.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ97NE4/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

An oval mound, 2.3m in height, with axes of 38m and 27m. Suggested to be part of an irregular natural feature extending to the south.

<3> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, 1/84-85 Longley D 1987 (Book). SCH3556.

Monument described as a barrow, 35m in diameter and 1.3m high; disturbed in 19th century, and trenched in 1972 although there are no details of the latter investigation.

<4> Longley D, 1977-1978, Longley Archive, /no.25 1977 (Paper Archive). SCH2005.

<5> Barnatt J, 1989, Peak District Barrow Survey, 22:13 (Unpublished Report). SCH2591.

1988 survey describes monument as follows:- a large,'bowl-shaped' mound which has been ploughed over and which probably had a diameter of approximately 20m. It is c1.3m high from the NE and c2.0m downslope to SW. Poorly defined with little signs of disturbance except for a small pit to the SW and an adjacent quarry (to north). This survey also includes a 1:200 scale plan of the monument.

<6> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 22569 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

The monument is a bowl barrow located on a low ridge top 160m south of Blue Boar Farm. It includes an oval mound of earth and stones up to 2m high with maximum dimensions of 31.5m by 29m. Antiquarian records describe the site as 'more or less disturbed' in 1878 suggesting previous investigation. There was an unrecorded investigation in 1972 and a shallow hollow 3m in diameter and 0.3m deep south-west of the summit may be associated with this.

<7> Peak District National Park Archaeology Service, 2003, Common Barn Farm, Rainow and Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough, Cheshire. (Client Report). SCH4748.

Large, ploughed over mound located on a saddle between two ridge tops.

<8> Peak District National Park Archaeology Service, Various, Scheduled Ancient Monument Monitoring Form (Unpublished Document). SCH4989.

Four site visits to ascertain the condition of the barrow have been undertaken between 2005 to 2014. In 2005 (26/03/2005) the site was described as grassland grazed by sheep. Other observations include a large, circular, shallow depression on the north side of mound, the edges of which contain badger sett entrances with associated mounds of excavated soil. Small animal bones around some of these entrances suggest occupation at some time by foxes. At the edge of the depression a line of three large gritstone boulders was observed. A disturbance on the south-west side of the mound is also noted which has been exacerbated by sheltering sheep. A visit undertaken in 2008 (09/02/2008) notes that grass has regrown on the mound. Visits in 2011 and 2014 (23/07/2011, 24/05/2014) observe that there are no signs of sheep grazing the monument and that the grassland appears to be a meadow.