Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 450m east of Dennet's Bottom Barn (1015427)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 450m east of Dennet's Bottom Barn PARISH: DEWLISH DISTRICT: WEST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 27396 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY78629739 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes the remains of a bowl barrow, originally one of two barrows on a south facing slope near Milborne Wood. The barrow has a mound which has been reduced in height by ploughing although it is visible as a low earthwork, c.16m in diameter and 0.2m high. There is no clear indication of a quarry ditch surrounding the mound, although there are slight depressions on both the uphill and downhill sides, and it will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide. This barrow was probably opened in 1883 when a cremation in an urn, probably a secondary burial, was found. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. The bowl barrow 450m east of Dennet's Bottom Barn, although reduced in height by ploughing, is known from part excavation to contain archaeological remains, providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 17th February 1961 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 534 NAME: Round barrow east of Milborne Wood The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27396 NAME: Bowl barrow 450m east of Dennet's Bottom Barn SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 24th July 1996

Record last edited

Oct 11 2024 2:05PM