Hob Hurst's House
OS Grid ref:- SK175710
Hob Hurst's House, a Bronze Age barrow of over 3,000 years old, is situated on Beeley Moor, near the town of Bakewell in the Peak District.
The monument is situated on the highest part of Beeley Moor, at Harland Edge a northwest - southeast ridge of land that it the location of several cairns. It measures 11 yards (10 metres) in diameter and 4 feet (1.2 metres) high, and is surrounded by a ditch and an external bank of 22 yards (20 metres) diameter. Hob Hurst's House is unique in that instead of the normal round shape, the barrow is rectangular. It originally consisted of 13 stones, of which only five remain today.
There are many prehistoric mounds on Beeley Moor, many of which mark late Neolithic and early Bronze Age burial sites. Built by local families in their fields and open pastures to contain the bones of 'ancestors', the mounds were visible symbols of community sense of place.
Hob Hurst's House was one of the first monuments in Britain to be taken into state care, through the Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1882. The stone bollards inscribed VR that surround the site were erected at that time. The curious name of Hob Hurst's House refers to a mythical hobgoblin of folklore who was said to have haunted nearby woods.
The barrow was excavated in 1853 by the archaeologist Thomas Bateman. The dig found a stone-lined grave containing some scorched human bones plus some lead ore.
Hob Hurst's House is in the care of English Heritage.