Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 790m north east of Haywards Farm (1015330)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 790m north east of Haywards Farm PARISH: BERE REGIS DISTRICT: PURBECK COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 28394 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY82569727 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a ridge overlooking the Bere valley to the south. The bowl barrow forms part of a wider group of 11 which, together, form a round barrow cemetery on Roke Down. The barrow has a mound composed of earth, flint and chalk, with maximum dimensions of 18m diameter and 0.5m in height. This is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. The ditch has become infilled over the years, but it will survive as a buried feature about 2m wide. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. Bowl barrows are the most numerous form of round barrow, with over 10,000 examples recorded nationally. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds each covering single or multiple burials. Despite some reduction by ploughing, the bowl barrow 790m north east of Haywards Farm survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 26th February 1962 as part of: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 659 NAME: Three round barrows north west of Millum Head The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 28394 NAME: Bowl barrow 790m north east of Haywards Farm SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 09th March 2001

Record last edited

Oct 10 2024 2:43PM