Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow in Piddle Wood, 530m north east of Gate Barn (1015901)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow in Piddle Wood, 530m north east of Gate Barn PARISH: TURNERS PUDDLE DISTRICT: PURBECK COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 29055 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY82599471 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a ridge overlooking the Bere Valley to the north. The barrow has a mound composed of sand, earth and turf, with maximum dimensions of 16m in diameter and approximately 1.8m in height. The northern edge of the barrow has been levelled in order to enable the construction of a track. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. The ditch has become infilled over the years, but will survive as a buried feature 2m wide. 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. Despite some disturbance by the construction of a track, the bowl barrow in Piddle Wood survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 11th July 1997

Record last edited

Oct 9 2024 4:48PM