Naming this Peckleton barrow rather than Kirkby Mallory was a mistake, as it is nearer the later and a stones' throw from the racetrack of Mallory Park.
It seems that although this site looks and feels like a barrow, it has never been excavated and so no datable artifacts have been recovered. Regardless of this, someone decided to plant around the site with oak trees as a foam of protection against being ploughed up and this has preserved what remains to this day. A footpath runs right next to the site and on my visit, this path had been re-positioned to run through a glorious potato crop. Maybe the trees were planted when the field changed from being pasture to arable. Whatever the reason, this site looks secure against modern man.
The barrow was covered with nettles but I moved over the top looking for any signs of excavation or intrusion, although it looked clear. There seemed to be a rounded crown to the top and a slight ditch was visible between the oak trees. The back of the barrow sat next to a hedge, but this had been planted well away from the ditch outline which made me think the barrow pre-dated the hedge line. It certainly looked like a barrow rather than a heap of rubble and soil that had been dumped in a field. Currishly the footpath is shown on the O.S. map as passing the barrow on the east, but now it passes on the west.
In conclusion I'd say yes to it being a barrow, for size, position, and the general ambiance of the site. Not that spectacular but who knows what secrets this site may reveal if properly excavated.
SK 45230116. A circular turf-covered mound, 1.3m. high, is located in level pasture at 130.0m. O.D. The mound is 13.0m. in diameter, and is surrounded by a slight ditch 0.2m. deep and 0.8m. wide. The base of the mound is surrounded by mature oak trees. No evidence of any structure is visible on the mound, and it may be the remains of a bowl barrow.
Surveyed on 1:2500 M.S.D. (1)
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Posted by Chance
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