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Smotherlaw round barrow is a scheduled monument in Durham, England, protecting a Bronze Age burial mound situated on bedrock of the Zechstein Group. This geological foundation, composed of dolomitised limestone and dolomite formed during the Late Permian, provides the solid chalk-like substrate characteristic of Durham's mineral geology. The monument occupies a scheduled area of 0.09 hectares and is recorded by Historic England under reference 1002327.
The barrow represents a typical Bronze Age funerary monument, when such earthen mounds marked high-status burials across Britain. The site's location in Durham places it within the broader pattern of Bronze Age settlement and burial practices across north-east England, where round barrows served as focal points for ritual and commemoration across generations.
Today the monument remains protected as a scheduled ancient monument, recognising its archaeological significance and potential to yield evidence of Bronze Age burial practices and material culture. The specific landscape setting of Smotherlaw, positioned on this distinctive Permian dolomite geology, provides important context for understanding how Bronze Age communities exploited and modified the terrain of northern England.
Smotherlaw round barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002327. View the official record →
Smotherlaw round barrow is a scheduled monument in Durham, England, protecting a Bronze Age burial mound situated on bedrock of the Zechstein Group. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002327.
Smotherlaw round barrow is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002327.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Section of Scots Dyke linear boundary, 650m ENE of Park House (5.8 km), Section of Scots Dyke linear boundary 600m south east of Park House (6.1 km), Section of Scots Dyke linear boundary 250m north of Langdale (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Smotherlaw round barrow's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Smotherlaw round barrow stands on Zechstein Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Permian. The rock here is dolomitised limestone and dolomite.