More information : (Group of 29 Barrows centred SE 645377) Danes Hills
(Tumuli) (NR) (1)
SE 645377 Danes Hills, Skipwith Common
This group of some 20 barrows and an adjacent settlement seem
to have been destroyed to make a war-time aerodrome. The
majority, if not all of the barrows in this group were
surrounded by squared ditches.
An 18th century excavation by Dr John Burton in barrow 7
(SE 64523763) yielded two crouched inhumations, but in other
mounds he found "only calcined human bones, ashes and pieces of
decayed iron of various shapes".
In 1849, the Yorks Antiquarian Club excavated at least ten of
the barrows, nine of which were surrounded by "a square fossa".
The final excavation at Danes Hills took place in 1941, under
Miss K Hodgson, who felt that the square ditches pointed to a
Roman origin. She found only 3rd or 4thc RB potsherds, which
came from the ditch infilling and may be contemporary with the
adjacent Settlement.
The only other finds from these barrows are calcined bones
found by both Burton and the YAC, and pieces of iron and a
possible flint arrowhead found in 1849.
The barrows may therefore be dated as not earlier than the
Iron Age.
The Settlement has at no time attracted the attention of the
excavators. (2)
Only three of the barrows 'A', 'B' and 'C' and the rectangular
feature at SE 64643764 (See 25") were destroyed in the
construction of the airfield.
Of the remaining 17 barrows published on the OS 25" 1906, only
two are extent: 'D' at SE 64433777 and 'E' at SE 64463775
(4 and 12 on Stead's sketch); both are square-ditched, 10.0 m
and 7.0 m square, respectively, and each 0.5 m high, with a
superficial ditch 1.5 m wide.
The sites of 12 others are recognisable as amorphous
tree-planted or bracken-covered swellings, mostly honey-combed
by rabbit holes, but with no indications of square ditches.
The remaining three can no longer be identified.
Published survey (25") revised. (3)
Dane's Hills, Skipwith Common. Apart from the barrows excavated
in 1754, 1849 and 1941 one was excavated by a Mr Stillington
in 1817 who discovered "a portion of a coarse woollen garment".
In Yorks Museum.
The excavations by Miss K S Hodgson in 1941 were on four of
the barrows but no burials or traces of disturbance in the
centres were revealed and their identifaction as barrows was
disputed.
SE 643377. Danes Hills, Skipwith Common. Scheduled.
(SE 64433776, SE 64473774) Tumuli (NR) (4-8)
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