Cleatham Barrow
Bronze Age Round Barrow
South of Manton, Lincolnshire  OS Map Ref SE925015
OS Maps - Landranger 112 (Scunthorpe & Gainsborough), Explorer 281 (Ancholme Valley)

This badly damaged round barrow stands just to the north of a small reservoir on land that slopes down westwards from the raised limestone Lincolnshire Edge near Kirton in Lindsey towards the valley of the River Trent 15 miles away. There is no indication of how large this barrow once was but two excavations and agricultural use of the field have reduced the mound to about a metre and a half in height and spread earth over a 45 metre diameter area. The first of these excavations took place in 1867 under the direction of Edward Peacock when a pair of urns were found along with a layer of partly cremated bones, a second excavation was carried out sometime around 1911-1912 which uncovered a layer of burnt earth. It is difficult to figure out why the barrow builders chose this particular spot, the nearest source of water is a tributary of the River Eau about a mile away, while if a view westwards across the Trent Valley was important then the higher ground of the Lincolnshire Edge itself just to the east would have seemed more ideal. Glossary item: Bronze Age

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